News and Events

NARSC 2017 Annual Meeting

 

The 64tth Annual North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International  (NARSC) was held  June 7-9, 2017 at the Maumee Bay State Park Lodge located on the shore of Lake Erie, just outside of Toledo, Ohio.   Greg Alward represented the Alward Institute and presented: 
Regional Economic Accounting Methods to Dis-Aggregate Sections of the Canadian 2013 Input-Output Accounts, Greg Alward, Alward Institute for Collaborative Science, and Madanmohan Ghosh, Canada.
To learn more about NARSC, please follow the "read more" link below. 
 

Western Forest Economists (WFE) - May 31 - June 1, 2017, Colorado State University, Lory Student Center, Fort Collins, Colorado
 
 
Dr. Greg Alward and Dr. Philip Watson represented the University of Idaho and presenting at the Western Forest Economists (WFE).  WFE is a non-profit group that welcomes membership from any interested party. For the last 50 years, WFE meets for a three-day conference that focuses on forest economics.  The conference is a great opportunity to discuss current research, issues, and trends.  The WFE’s informal meeting format encourages discussion and interchange.  Presentations on Regional Economic Performance:  Data and Methods were given by: Dr. Greg Alward, University of Idaho, “Designing a State Level SAM to Address Agriculture and Natural Resource Issues”, Dr. Tim Nadreau, Washington State University, “Disaggregating the BEA Input-Output Accounts” and Dr. Phil Watson, University of Idaho, “High Paying Sectors or Above Average Wages: What Matters More in Regional Wage Discrepancies” . 
 

Pacific Northwest Regional Economics Conference (PNREC)
 
Dr. Greg Alward, Dr. Phil Watson and Dr. Garth Taylor representing the University of Idaho presented at the 51st annual Pacific Northwest Regional Economics Conference held at the Riverhouse Hotel in Bend, Oregon on May 23-25, 2017.  The Pacific Northwest Regional Economic Conference is a non-profit organization established to promote research and education on the economy of the Northwest states and Western Canada.  The objectives of the Conference were:
  • To present a program of professional papers, panels and symposia that relate to regional economics.
  • To enable distinguished regional scientists and policy analysts from elsewhere to play a featured role at the Conference.
  • To provide a forum for those from academia, business, and government to meet and interact professionally.
  • To introduce and share current regional economic research with students, business and community leaders.

 

 

16th Annual Foresters Forum– Promoting Professional Growth in the Forest Products Industry - Coeur d’Alene, Idaho,  February 8-10, 2017. 

Dr. Greg Alward and Dr. Dennis Becker, represented the Policy Analysis Group at the University of Idaho  -  Department of Natural Resource and Society.  The Forum was dedicated to providing professional foresters the opportunity to focus on their professions, learn new ideas techniques & technologies and share information. 

 

 

WRSA Conference Santa Fe, New Mexico, February 15-18, 2017
 
Dr. Phil Watson and Haley Hildebrandt represented the University of Idaho with a presentation on Economic Development - Business Climate is in the Eye of the Employer.  Dr. Greg Alward, Dr. Phil Watson and Dr. G. Taylor (not in attendance) representing the University of Idaho presented An Urban-Rural Interregional Social Accounting Matrix approach estimating fiscal flows between regions: An Example from Idaho.   Paul A. Lewin, Dr. Philip Watson, and Anna Brown presented Surviving the Great Recession - The influence of inequality in U.S. urban counties.   Dr. Greg Alward, representing the University of Idaho served as a discussant on the panel for Trade - Why some new firms export - The importance of the Board of Directors.  Dr. Steve Cooke presented a paper by Stephen Cooke & David Kay (Alward Institute for Collaborative Science) and Dr. Greg Alward & Dr. Philip Watson (University of Idaho) on  A sector’s contribution to the economy: Compared with the Approaches Suggested by IMPLAN.   Dr. Steve Cooke, representing the Alward Institute for Collaborative Science, served as a discussant on the panel for Yield spreads, the exchange rate, and recession predictability for Northern Mexico border Economies. 
 
 

 Greg Alward and David Kay of the Alward Institute for Collaborative Science  presented a paper about the Market Opportunities for Michigan's Wood Products and Structural Path Analysis.  Greg also served as a session monitor at the highly successful Association for University Business and Ecomonic Resarch (AUBER) 2016 Conference.  The event took place October 22-25, 2015 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The AUBER 2016 Conference explored the theme of “Local Heroes:  Understanding Regional Supply Chains and Economic Development” drawing on the example of the Northwest Arkansas economy, home to Walmart, Tyson Foods and J.B. Hunt Transportation.  The meeting focused on economic data solutions, best practices for regional indicators, developments in economic impact modeling and  the secrets to running a successful regional business and economic center.

At the MCRSA 2016 Annual Conference the following individuals were recognized for their contributions:

 

Dr. Steve Deller

MCRSA Distinguished Service Award:  The Distinguished Service Award is the Association’s award for outstanding service to the Association.  The Distinguished Service Award recognizes exceptionally meritorious and sustained service on behalf of MCRSA.  It pays homage to those who pursue a vision of a sustainable, healthy and vibrant Association.  A Distinguished Service Award is a member who has served multiple terms within leadership over many years of active participation, and is allocated for the individual who has been truly “Exceptional.” This is a long‐time member of the Association who has consistently and repeatedly done service in a sustained fashion and a multiplicity of roles.

 

Dr. Greg Alward

MCRSA Distinguished Fellow (The Highest Award MCRSA can bestow): The Distinguished Fellow Is the Association’s award for good standing and history of 10 years or more involvement with the MCRSA support and participation that has made significant contributions to the broader discipline of Regional Science.  Individuals with particularly outstanding records of scholarship, service to the profession, and participation within the Association in the advancement of regional analysis and related fields of study, research productivity, impact of research within the broader discipline of Regional Science productivity are elected as a Fellow of the Association by the MCRSA Board of Directors. Distinguished Fellow is an honorary position of the Association in recognition of the achievements and contributions of the selected individual.

 

 

NEWLY ELECTED OFFICER

David Kay

Vice-President:  The Vice-President assists the President in the conduct of the President’s duties and shall assume such other duties and responsibilities as determined from time to time by the President and the Board.  The Vice-President serves as chair of the Competition Committee Chairman. The Competition Committee Chairman (The Vice President) shall be assisted by the Editor(s) of the Corporation’s Journal and two other Voting Members in good standing.  Those two members are selected by the Committee Chair (The Vice President).

 

CONTINUED SERVICE

Dr. John Leatherman

Executive Director:    The Executive Director shall serve as the Corporation’s secretary and treasurer and will otherwise be empowered to act on behalf of the Corporation in its general interests and consultation with the Board. The Executive Director will cause to be kept complete and correct minutes of all meetings of the Board and the Voting Members, and cause to be issued notices of all meetings in accordance with these Bylaws or as required by law.  When authorized and directed by the Board, the Executive Director will execute with the President all contracts, deeds, and other instruments for and on behalf of the Corporation. The Executive Director will be the legal custodian of all books, deeds, instruments, papers, and records of the Corporation, the inspection of which will be permitted at all reasonable times by any Director or executive officer of the Corporation.  The Executive Director will attend to such correspondence as may be incidental to the office, and will cause to be deposited all monies, securities, and other valuable effects of the Corporation in such depositories as the Board will authorize and direct and, whenever requested to do so by the President or the Board, will prepare and submit written statements, reports and accounts fully and accurately reflecting the assets, liabilities, and financial transactions and condition of the Corporation. The Executive Director will perform such other and further duties as the Board may from time to time direct, and will perform all other duties and discharge all other responsibilities which customarily relate and pertain to the office of Executive Director.

The 63rd Annual North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International  (NARSC) was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota on November 9-12, 2016. Greg NARSC 2016

Greg Alward, Erik Kvale, and David Kay (via phone) participated in the pre-conference workshop "Development of Standard Procedures for Contribution Analysis of Agriculture and Forestry."   

Alward Institute Conference Presentations included:

Improving Methods for Building and Using Regional Social Accounts and Models, Thursday November 10

Organizer: Greg Alward, Alward Institute for Collaborative Science

  • Developing Standard Protocols for Impact and Contribution Analyses of Agriculture, Greg Alward, Alward Institute for Collaborative Science
  • Developing a Standard Protocols for Impact and Contribution Analysis of Forestry, Greg Alward, Alward Institute for Collaborative Science, David D. Kay, Alward Institute for Collaborative Science
  • Practical Methods to Improve Regional SAMs, Greg Alward, Alward Institute for Collaborative Science, David D. Kay, Alward Institute for Collaborative Science
  • From Ag Budgets to Input-output Accounts: Measuring the Economic Contribution of Regional Production Agriculture, David D. Kay, Alward Institute for Collaborative Science, Stephen Cooke, Alward Institute for Collaborative Science, Greg Alward, Alward Institute for Collaborative Science

Discussants:

Greg Alward, Alward Institute for Collaborative Science

Larry Leefers, Michigan State University

Philip Watson, University of Idaho

To learn more about NARSC, please follow the "read more" link below.

The MCRSA Annual Conference was held in Charlotte, North Carolina from June 9-11, 2016 at the Sheraton Charlotte Hotel.  Dr. Greg Alward, David Kay and Dr. Stephen Cooke of the Alward Institute for Collaborative Science were presenters at this event. 

Dr. Greg Alward presented the 2016 MCRSA Plenary Session "Best Available Science:  Quality Assusrance Standards and Applied Regional Economics in an Era of Big Data and Big Science."

David Kay presented "From Ag Budgets to Input-Output Accounts:  Measuring the Economic Contribution of Regional Production Agriculture." 

 Dr. Stephen Cooke presented "Induced-Effects Multiplier and Contribution Analysis:  Does IMPLAN Version 3, Get it Right?"

Below are links to the formal presentations given by Dr. Greg Alward and David Kay of the Alward Institute for Collaborative Science at the MCRSA 2016 Annual Conference. 

 Dr Stephen CookeDavid Kay 2016 MCRSA Presentation

 Dr. Greg Alward's 2016 MCRSA Plenary                                 David Kay, Ag Budgets Presentation                                                          Dr. Stephen Cooke

  

For any questions regarding the presentations, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 970-217-3942. 

Thank you.

The Western Forest Economists (WFE) held their annual conference May 3-4, 2016 at the University of Washington, in Seattle, Washington.

The Western Forest Economists is a non-profit group that welcomes membership from any interested party.  For the last 50 years, we have met each Spring for a two to three-day conference that focuses on forest economics.  The conference is a great opportunity to discuss current research, issues, and trends.  The WFE’s informal meeting format encourages discussion and interchange.  WFE meetings attract economists from industry, government agencies, and universities.  WFE is especially interested in encouraging students to participate.   

Dr. Stephen Cooke of the Alward Institute of Science presented "The Michigan Forest Products" study and paper. 

 

ISFRE Conference, April 3-5, 2016
 
The International Society of Forest Resource Economics hosted a conference on "Forest Economics and Policy in a Changing Environment:  How market, policy and climate transformations affect forests."
 
 
Dr. Stephen Cooke of the Alward Institute of Collaborative Science presented the following ISFRE paper that relates to measuring the contribution of each forest products sector to a state’s economy.
 
  • Changing Markets for U.S. Forest Products:  Identifying Competitive Advantage, Bottlenecks and Policy Prescriptions for Michigan’s Forest Products Sectors. 
 
The International Society Of Forest Resource Economics, (formally SOFEW), is an organization that brings together representatives of industry, consulting, academia, and federal and state agencies to discuss current issues in the economics of forestry, timber markets, timberland investments, and forest products trade.  This annual conference showcased presentations on financial aspects of timber management and utilization, timber supply and demand, international trade, forest policy, law and many other current issues involved in the business of forestry.