In this paper the structure of the rural economy in Armenia is explored from a household perspective. The paper draws on the livelihoods framework, recognizing the different capitals and activities that support rural households' livelihood strategies. Ownership of capitals and access to...

In this paper an alternative approach for the analysis of rural development in peripheral and agrarian communities in the Swiss Alps is developed. It is based on System Dynamics, a qualitative and quantitative methodology on the structure and behaviour of complex systems. In the qualitative...

Using entropy indices and associated bootstrap tests, we describe the distribution of economic sectors across Western European regions over the 1975-2000 period. We decompose geographic concentration into its within-country and between-country components. In addition, we estimate...

In recent years the removal of dams that pose environmental hazards has been seen as a river restoration and management tool. The ecological benefits of removing dams, such as the restoration of water temperatures and fish passage, have been well documented. However, fewer studies have evaluated...

The 1998 Survey of Small Business Finances provides robust information on the financing of small businesses including an overview of their firm's organization, financial characteristics, and credit use. Information from the survey is used in this study to compare the financial characteristics of...

This paper analyzes the capacity of Nicaragua's dairy industry to expand domestic dairy product sales and exports profitably. The paper (a) presents information on traits of Nicaragua's dairy industry that influence domestic and export market expansion capabilities, and (b) benchmarks...

This paper analyzes the effect of open space and other amenities on housing prices and development density within the framework of an urban equilibrium model. The model is estimated as a system of equations that includes households' residential choice decisions and developers' development...

This paper first identifies an interesting pattern in farm household livestock production in many developing countries: an inverted-U shape relationship between household livestock production and the levels of economic development (or farm household income). Using backyard hog production as a...

The purpose of this study was to examine the local socioeconomic impacts of new economic development initiatives in North Dakota's rural (nonmetropolitan) communities. This report is the second to present findings from this project; an earlier report analyzed the effects of four new agricultural...