1 Raising the Poor with an Ivory Tower : Higher Education as Economic Development

Persistently poor rural areas may suffer from spatial mismatches similar to those found in urban inner cities due in part to commuting distances and lack of employment opportunities. Economic development strategies for improving economic outcomes in such persistently poor rural areas can include the strategic placement of higher education campuses. This paper examines the impacts and effects of universities on the economic development outcomes for California counties. In assessing the economic impacts of universities, a quasi-experimental analysis is performed to isolate the university’s impact from that of other factors.