Tayside economy: an input-output approach to analysis and planning
The aim of this study has been to carry out an analysis of the economic structure of the Tayside Region in Scotland using an empirical model. This type of analysis, which can be a major instrument for regional economic planning, has never been used in Tayside. The lack of use of empirical models and reliable statistics may lead to poor decision making which cause inefficiency in allocating limited resources. Therefore, this study attempts to apply a mathematical technique in applied economics to the analysis of the Tayside's economic structure and to assess the use of an input-output approach in regional planning. In this study data was collected from primary and secondary sources and these were applied in the construction of the survey-based input-output tables and to provide a descriptive analysis of the Tayside economy. Non-survey and balancing techniques available for the construction of regional input-output tables were critically examined. A new method, named "ARAS", was derived by introducing some modifications to the RAS technique with the aims of avoiding some of its weaknesses when it is used in balancing the survey-based input-output tables. The ARAS method which can preserve the positive signs of the Leontief inverse matrices, was used to balance the Tayside survey-based input-output tables. The tables, so constructed, were used to provide an empirical analysis of the structure of the Tayside economy and to demonstrate the applicability of this approach to Tayside's regional planning. An attempt has been made to assess whether the results of the Tayside survey-based tables could be comparable to those of Tayside non-survey input-output tables. The reason for testing this hypothesis was to provide Tayside planners with some guidance on the feasibility of the use of non-survey tables, since they are more attractive than full-survey and survey-based tables, in terms of saving time and cost of producing the input-output tables. It is intended that this study may help to stimulate further investigations into the use of this kind of empirical approach in the analysis of regional economies and in their planning.
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations