The role of industries and firms in propelling urban economic growth and change is an important issue in urban economic research and policy. A framework for identifying propulsive industries in advanced metropolitan economies is proposed. A propulsive industry is a set of firms, producing substitutable goods or services, which significantly influences urban economic growth and change. The framework examines the opportunities and limits in identifying propulsive industries using existing concepts and data from urban, regional and industrial economic research.
Initially, industry characteristics propelling urban economic growth and change are described. These characteristics fall into two categories: propulsive mechanisms which directly stimulate urban income and employment growth; and economic factors which cause propulsive mechanisms to change over time. The analysis shows how nine characteristics can be turned into criteria for identifying local propulsive industries: industry size, growth performance, average employee earnings, occupational profile, multiplier performance, export orientation, vulnerability to import penetration of domestic markets, and sensitivity to economic recession and expansion. Two additional industry characteristics are rejected as criteria for identifying propulsive industries because of inadequate quantitative measures (innovation intensity, and match of occupational demand with local unemployment). A third, industry concentration, is rejected because, of uncertainty in the propulsive relationship with urban economic growth and change.
The efficacy of using available data for identifying propulsive industries in metropolitan Vancouver, British Columbia is examined. Data are available for five out of the nine proposed criteria: industry size, net employment growth, average weekly wages, and sensitivity to economic recession and expansion. A provisional ranking of propulsive industries using these five criteria shows the dominant role of services in the metropolitan Vancouver economy.
Finally, findings on the opportunities and limits for identifying local propulsive industries and implications for urban economic policy are discussed. The nine proposed criteria provide a more comprehensive and analytical approach for identifying propulsive industries than methods presently used by local economic policymakers. Available data are, however, inadequate for identifying propulsive industries in metropolitan Vancouver. Information on local propulsive industries can be used to set priorities among an increasingly complex and diverse array of urban economic growth programs; evaluate the efficacy of implemented programs; and monitor and evaluate changes in urban economic structure. Metropolitan governments could provide a vital forum for economic research and policy initiatives involving the identification and support of local propulsive industries. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/28346 |
| Date | January 1988 |
| Creators | Kahnert, Brian Joseph |
| Publisher | University of British Columbia |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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