Environmentally extended regional economic impact modeling.

摘要

Many regional economies within the Canadian provinces are dependent on natural resources and amenities. This study investigates environmentally extended economic impact estimation on a regional scale using a case study region in the province of Alberta known as the Foothills Model Forest (FMF). Three major issues are examined. First, a synthetic data regionalization technique is compared against a hybrid approach in developing a consistent regional economic database. Second, the economic impact estimates derived from input-output (I-O) based models and computable general equilibrium (CGE) models are compared. Third, the models are environmentally extended in pursuit of enhancing policy analysis and local decision-making.;The results from this study suggest that special consideration must be given to the development of regional economic databases. The results also indicate that variation exists between the impact estimates derived from I-O versus CGE models. In addition, the CGE approach offers more potential for environmental extension. This suggests that the CGE approach may be the tool of the future for more complete regional economic impact assessment.