Thesis
Prisons and community development: the effects of prison privatization on employment growth in rural U.S. counties
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2008
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/100330
Abstract
Recent studies that have examined the economic impacts of prisons on their host communities have found new prisons to be ineffective at expanding the local job base; in some cases prisons are even associated with a decline in employment growth. Drawing from this research, as well as from research in the area of prison privatization, I argue that a focus on the dynamics of privatization can help illuminate some of the nuances of this association. To this end, I make use of a dataset that compiles detailed economic data and includes information on prison location and type. Using a panel design and twostage least squares regression (2SLS) I conclude, in concert with previous research, that building a new prison, overall, is likely to impede the employment growth of the host community. Turning to the effects of privatization, I conclude that prisons in states that have undergone some degree of privatization of their facilities have a negative influence on employment growth while prisons in states with only public prisons have no discernable impact, positive or negative, on employment growth.
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Details
- Title
- Prisons and community development
- Creators
- Shaun Stewart Genter
- Contributors
- Gregory Hooks (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Sociology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; Pullman, Wash. :
- Identifiers
- 99900525112401842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis