Sussex County Input-Output Analysis: Implications for Policy Decisions

Abstract

Economic development in rural areas of the Northeast has received much recent attention. This paper presents an evaluation of the impact of possible development policies for one such rural area, Sussex County, Delaware. The evaluation is based on measures derived from a regional, primary data, input-output model. The paper is divided into three parts: (I) a description of the input-output model with special emphasis on the design of this model, a design which enables the in-depth study of several industries which are important to the Sussex County economy; (II) estimated measures for evaluating the relative significance of each sector to the region's economy; and (III) illustrations as to how the findings might be used to facilitate policy decisions currently facing or likely to face regional planners and representatives.