The Supply of Natural Amenities: Moving from Empirical Anecdotes to a Theoretical Basis

Abstract

Although a significant amount of empirical research makes linkages between natural amenities and developmental attributes within the context of rural change, there has yet to be forwarded a defensible, comprehensive, and explanatory theoretical construct upon which to better understand the presence, use, and production of natural amenities within the context of development. Key unique attributes of natural amenity resources identify short-term issues of irreversibility, non-producibility, and nontradability. Given alternative temporal specification, however, our ability to manipulate, produce, and utilize natural amenities is obvious, albeit indirect. How does resource management affect the presence and quality of natural amenity resources? How compatible are amenity resources with jointly produced market-based natural resource outputs? How are natural amenities used to produce tourism? What is the relevant set of externalities involved in supplying natural amenity resources? Upon what theoretical basis do we develop public policy that acts to alter regional natural amenity resources? These are the key questions addressed in this manuscript that provide a theoretical basis for characterizing the supply of amenities and their use in affecting rural economic change. In developing a consistent and robust set of amenity supply concepts, we provide an interdisciplinary basis to substantiate a theory of the post-productivist countryside thus allowing a more complete understanding of amenity-based development phenomena.

Amenities and Rural Appalachia Economic Growth

“…Both descriptive analysis (e.g., McGranahan 1999) and more advanced statistical modeling approaches (e.g., Deller et al 2001, Marcouiller, Kim, and Deller 2004 have consistently found that rural areas that are endowed with natural and built amenities such as scenic beauty, wildlife, and recreational and tourism attributes experience higher rates of structural change and economic growth than the U.S. average. Unfortunately, much of the current thinking is based on empirical evidence with little if any theoretical foundations (Power 1996(Power , 2005.Using traditional neoclassical growth theory, Marcouiller (1998) and Marcouiller and Clendenning (2005) suggest that natural amenities and quality of life factors act as non-market latent inputs into regional economic growth and development. As our national economy has moved from goods-to service-producing, the impact on rural America has been pronounced.…”

“…Using traditional neoclassical growth theory, Marcouiller (1998) and Marcouiller and Clendenning (2005) suggest that natural amenities and quality of life factors act as non-market latent inputs into regional economic growth and development. As our national economy has moved from goods-to service-producing, the impact on rural America has been pronounced.…”

“…Theory tells us, for example, that human capital matters-but how should it be measured and how many dimensions should be included? As noted by Marcouiller (1998) and Marcouiller and Clendenning (2005), the lack of any theoretical insights, or in the case of conflicting theoretical predictions, the natural and built amenity determinants of growth, reduces to an empirical question.…”

Landscape amenities and local development: A review of migration, regional economic and hedonic pricing studies

“…Deller et al, 2001;Gottlieb, 1995;Green, 2001;Marcouiller and Clendenning, 2005) we define natural landscape amenities as landscape features that are location-specific, latent non-market input goods of an economy that directly enter a resident's utility function or attract firms in amenity-related industries. Based on the results, we discuss main insights but also remark on limitations of the literature as a basis for public decisions.…”

Longing for the mountains?

“…Moreover, these advantages are not limited to the criteria of proximity to one's place of work or accessibility in general. A number of authors have shown that certain, mostly rural regions experienced a population influx motivated above all by the quality of the landscape and environment, the possibilities of outdoor leisure activities, or generally a better quality of life (Benson, O'Reilly 2009;Marcouiller, Clendenning 2005). With regard to mountainous regions, scholars speak of so-called amenity migration to describe the new migrants who are interested in the tourist and landscape features of the places where they settle (Martin, Bourdeau, Daller 2012;Moss et al 2009).…”