My current research looks at high tax, low-wage sectors from a local economic development perspective. First up is the hospitality sub-sector. I’ve presented some of this research at an academic conference and to fellow researchers during my PhD studies. In the months ahead, I will write about this ongoing research project, introducing elements that will eventually find their way into future conference presentations, journal articles, and eventually, my second book. I will also present data from some detours along the way.
I will be presenting an eclectic group of topics relating to tourism and wages. My research synthesizes literature from six distinct disciplines; urban studies, tourism studies, public administration, public choice theory, real estate economics, and wage theory. With my unique set of experiences and biases (see below) I will be building on the work of Susan Fainstein (The Just City) and David Harvey (Rebel Cities), and testing the theories of public choice economists.
As for my data, I have the benefit of a national survey of economic development professionals, living wage data from MIT, hotel performance data from HVS, and wage and local government revenue data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Initially, I will start with simple cross tabulations of this data to reveal intriguing patterns and relationships. Some of the comparisons will include living wages, hotel revenues, and local government taxes. Others will look at the accuracy of performance claims made by local economic development officials. Some comparisons will focus on Virginia, others the nation, and some on large tourism market. The data will define the scope.

 

I approach this research informed by experiences from my career as a practitioner, my recent stint writing about U.S. history, and my age, gender, class and ethnicity.  As a practitioner, I served as a local economic development professional and corporate real estate executive,  and ran my own real estate advisory company. In this last role I helped develop several business–class hotels.  My research project in American history introduced me to labor relations in the industrial age, policies and tactics of FDR, and the battle for full employment legislation between 1945 and 1946.  Finally, I’m a white male, raised in an upper-income family during the 60’s and 70’s. I faced no economic hardships in my youth.  I remember when community colleges were free and catalogs for four-year colleges had one or two paragraphs devoted to college financing. Later,  as I raised a family in mixed-income areas, I observed the dramatic increases in college tuition combined with a deterioration of wages for entry-level employment. I developed an appreciation, albeit second hand, for economic challenges I never faced. Given my personal experiences, my research focuses on the power structures where I was employed for many years. I will leverage my understanding of hotel economics, real estate, local government administration, and public finance to provide a unique perspective on how the economic benefits derived from tourism can be can be distributed in a manner that contributes to a sustainable local economy.

 

I look forward to any constructive criticisms that you may offer. I consider any critique a gift.