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What is the economic impact of America’s public lands and waters? How can we quantify how these remarkable resources contribute to our quality of life? And how are our valuation methods and public policies changing? Read more
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Fiscal policy reforms could substantially increase the economic benefits of public lands for states and local communities. Read more
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Getting into the Dirt of Public Lands Policy
CONTRIBUTORComprehensive benefit cost analyses of public lands policies are needed. Read more
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Democracy, Collective Values, and Public Land
CONTRIBUTORA spiritual and cultural treasure and a multi-trillion-dollar asset, public land must be protected. Read more
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Rockies Region Natural Resources: The Foundation for Economy and Quality of Life – Then, Now, Tomorrow
CONTRIBUTORNatural resources are still the foundation of the Rockies region economy even as it has shifted from extraction-based activities to recreation and tourism. Read more
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Non-labor income can have an outsized effect on communities in the rural West with a large share of public lands. Read more
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Public Lands, Place, and Quality of Life
CONTRIBUTORTo assess the value of public lands, we must analyze the full array of what matters to people and consider the activities they pursue. Read more
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Counties with public lands today tend to have larger, more diverse, and slightly older populations. Read more
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Nonmarket valuation tools have evolved over time and are now relied upon for important policy decisions and litigation. Read more
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Valuing Protected Public Lands
CONTRIBUTORAs we work to protect wildlands, we must also ensure that amenity-led growth benefits a wide range of people and builds community. Read more
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Advances in economic valuation methods have improved public lands management. Read more
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The Original Purpose of Federal Lands
CONTRIBUTORFederally managed public lands were originally intended to provide and protect public goods and services while constraining commercial activities. Read more
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In the face of overwhelming transition, local institutions can make a critical difference in rural community resilience. Read more
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Western counties once dependent on timber today perform similarly to like-sized counties. Three case studies outline economic lessons from counties that weathered the timber transition. Read more
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Minority populations are growing in nearly all rural western counties, helping booming communities expand and slowing the decline in counties that otherwise would have lost people. Read more
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Non-labor income sources such as investments, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid often are the largest and fastest growing sources of personal income for many counties. Rural counties especially are surprisingly dependent on non-labor income. Read more
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Why the Rural West Matters
ALUMNIThe rural West matters for at least three important reasons: the vitality of the region’s landscape; its impact on local, state, and national politics; and the future of the area’s people and communities. Read more
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Update: Rural counties in the West with more federal lands performed better on average than their peers with less federal lands in four key economic measures. Read more
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Recent trends in manufacturing and what they mean for the people and communities of the American West, with insights for rural areas in particular. Read more
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Explore the West’s economy, regional performance, and what is driving economic growth. Read more
