The Role of Amenities in a Regional Economy: A Meta-Analysis Approach

Abstract

This paper seeks to address whether and how amenities are related to regional economic growth by using meta-analysis. Findings imply which amenity-related economic growth strategy should be taken into consideration when interpreting research results from diverse studies. Research results are summarized as follows. First, research methodologies do not deviate much from the mainstream. Second, spatial autocorrelation correction components seem to yield contradictory results to a conventional logic but they in fact restore neighborhood effects. Last, different types of amenities (natural v.s. man-made) have distinctive relationships with economic growth. Natural amenity growth derives lower-wage employment growth, while man-made amenities drive creative class growth. The results from meta-analysis on amenity-related economic growth provide policy decision makers with more consistent understanding than each literature's various political implication.

This paper seeks to address whether and how amenities are related to regional economic growth by using meta-analysis. Findings imply which amenity-related economic growth strategy should be taken into consideration when interpreting research results from diverse studies. Research results are summarized as follows. First, research methodologies do not deviate much from the mainstream. Second, spatial autocorrelation correction components seem to yield contradictory results to a conventional logic but they in fact restore neighborhood effects. Last, different types of amenities (natural v.s. man-made) have distinctive relationships with economic growth. Natural amenity growth derives lower-wage employment growth, while man-made amenities drive creative class growth. The results from meta-analysis on amenity-related economic growth provide policy decision makers with more consistent understanding than each literature's various political implication.