Social Landscapes of the Inter‐Mountain West: A Comparison of ‘Old West’ and ‘New West’ Communities*

Abstract Rural communities have experienced dramatic demographic, social, and economic transformations over the past 30 years. Historically characterized by close links between natural resources and social, cultural, and economic structures, few of today's rural communities remain heavily dependent upon traditional extractive industries like ranching, forestry, and mining. New forms of development linked to natural and cultural amenities, including tourism and recreation, have evolved to sustain the link between community and resources. The Inter‐Mountain West region offers an excellent example of this distinction. Many of the region's rural communities have experienced substantial population growth resulting from the in‐migration of a new kind of rural resident. Their arrival, in a process some have associated with the emergence of a “New West,” has transformed rural places. However, amenity‐related social and economic structures have not occurred uniformly across space. This paper uses factor analysis and exploratory spatial data analysis to analyze demographic characteristics related to the “New West” phenomena in Inter‐Mountain West communities and the spatial patterns found in the degree of “New West‐ness” that each community exhibits.     

DOES EXCHANGE RATE APPRECIATION ‘DEINDUSTRIALIZE’ THE OPEN ECONOMY? A CRITIQUE OF U.S. EVIDENCE

This paper takes a critical look at the conventional view that the dollar exchange rate appreciation during the early 1980s caused a major resource shift in the U.S. economy away from tradables production, such as manufactures, toward nontradables production. We argue that the association of a dollar appreciation with relative strength or weakness in the tradable goods sector depends on the particular shock causing the appreciation, and consequently that the relation between exchange rates and the sectoral composition of output is unlikely to be stable over time. Our empirical analysis finds evidence of instability in the exchange rate–sectoral output link and of a positive association between tradables output and fiscal stimulus.