Premium
Do amenities matter in attracting knowledge workers for regional economic development?*
Author(s) -
Mathur Vijay K.,
Stein Sheldon H.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
papers in regional science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.937
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1435-5957
pISSN - 1056-8190
DOI - 10.1111/j.1435-5957.2005.00016.x
Subject(s) - amenity , warrant , productivity , shock (circulatory) , order (exchange) , trap (plumbing) , economics , business , labour economics , economic growth , public economics , geography , finance , medicine , meteorology
. The productivity of knowledge workers (the “ H people”) relative to that of unskilled workers (the “ L people”) could warrant that a region formulate economic development policies in order to raise this ratio via the in‐migration of skilled labour. This article presents a theoretical model which demonstrates the conditions that must be satisfied before an amenity based programme for economic development can succeed. The ratio of H to L turns out to play a crucial role as does the assumption that H’ s are L averse. We also examine the possibility that an adverse amenity shock can push a region into an “ L trap”.