Spatial distribution of economic change from Idaho ranches

Abstract

Economic impacts from federal grazing policy frequently figure in public debate about federal land in the American West. The spatial and economic level of aggregation at which impacts are estimated is a significant issue, both politically and methodologically. We present an input/output model incorporating spatial detail at the sub-county level. Seven community-level economies are portrayed and contrasted with the aggregated 2-county economy. Our argument is that economic dependencies, notably dependencies on the range cattle industry, differ significantly between communities and that this differentiation is completely masked when the 2 county area is examined as 1 economy. The sub-county breakdown illustrates the degree to which communities are differentially vulnerable to reduced cattle prices and a reduction in available federal forage.