6 x 9. 184 pgs. 39 drawings, 32 tables. (2003) Cloth 978-0-472-11303-3 $70.00S  Available Add to Cart Search this Book's Content About the Book Praise Look Inside Subjects Economics--Economic Theory / Economics--Macro Economics / Political Science--Political Economy

Volatile States
Institutions, Policy, and the Performance of American State Economies

W. Mark Crain



New research reevaluates the disparities in economic growth and living standards among American states

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About the Book

Why do American state economies grow at such vastly different rates and manifest such wide differences in living standards? Volatile States identifies the sources of rising living standards by examining the recent economic and fiscal history of the American states. Delving deeply into the historical data to provide new insights about the factors that contribute to state economic success, the book departs from traditional analyses of economic performance with its emphasis on the role of volatility.

In addition to identifying institutions and policies that are key determinants of economic success, Volatile States illustrates the considerable promise of a two-dimensional or mean-variance criterion for assessing state economic performance. The mean-variance perspective amends applications of growth models that rely on the mobility of productive factors keyed to income levels alone. Just as rates of return by themselves provide an incomplete basis for gauging portfolio performance, the level of growth in state economies reveals an incomplete and perhaps distorted picture of performance. Taking the volatility of state economies explicitly into account refines the whole notion of "economic success."

Few issues in the social sciences are more worthwhile than the sources of rising living standards. Volatile States contributes to the discourse by examining the economic and fiscal history of the American States. It will be of interest to economists, political scientists, policy analysts, and policymakers who routinely confront questions about the consequences of alternative institutional arrangements and economic policy choices.

W. Mark Crain is Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for Study of Public Choice at George Mason University. Dr. Crain has authored more than a hundred articles and books in the fields of economics and politics. Most of these works focus on fiscal policy, government regulation, and the organization of legislatures. In addition to his academics pursuits, Professor Crain has served on eight state and local government boards and commissions during the administrations of four Virginia governors, including the state's Advisory Board of Economists. Dr. Crain has previously been on the faculties at UCLA and Virginia Tech, and he was Assistant to the Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Dr. Crain holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Houston, and a Ph.D. in Economics from Texas A&M University.

Visit W. Mark Crain's website at www.gmu.edu/jbc/faculty_bios/mcrain.html.