Networks and Big Data
for Small Towns and Businesses
January 14, 2014
presentation to Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC)
Board, Administrators, Staff, Partners, and Clientele
by Maureen Kilkenny
Candidate for SRDC Director
agenda:
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Motivations
Vision for the SRDC
Networks
 Big Data
 Project Proposals
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Your Ideas and Questions
Outline Motivations Vision Networks Big Data Proposals
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Outline Motivations Vision Networks Big Data Proposals
■metro
Outline Motivations Vision Networks Big Data Proposals
Outline Motivations Vision Networks Big Data Proposals
Vision: Opportunity and prosperity
for all of the rural South
Beliefs:
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Rural people develop rural America.
are essential for rural
community development,
economic development.
coordination, and
innovation
small towns and businesses can’t afford to identify all
the relevant partners or analyze all the data they need
to make effective choices.
Outline Motivations Vision Networks Big Data Proposals
A classic economic geography question:
‘why are some places rich and others poor?’
Acemoglu and Robinson (2012) write: “institutions that enforce
property rights, create a level playing field, and encourage
investments in new technologies and skills are more conducive
to economic growth than economic institutions that are
structured to extract resources from the many by the few.”
Acemoglu, Daron, Simon Johnson, and James A. Robinson, (2001), ‘The Colonial Origins of Comparative
Development: An Empirical Investigation’, American Economic Review, 91, 1369–1401.
Acemoglu, Daron, and James Robinson, (2012) Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty
Crown Business Publishers.
Outline Motivations Vision Networks Big Data Proposals
DISCOVERING NEW IDEAS, APPLYING NEW STRATEGIES
SRDC MISSION
The Southern Rural Development Center builds capacity
to catalyze economic growth in the rural South.
We collaborate with public, private, and NGO partners
producing rural development research, education, and
Extension that anticipates needs and offers effective
solutions.
We enable networks and provide strategic information to
help communities and businesses across the South to
thrive.
Outline Motivations Vision Networks Big Data Proposals
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networks
Beliefs:
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proposed MISSION
Rural people develop rural
America.
The Southern Rural Development
Center builds capacity to catalyze
economic growth in the rural South.
community development,
coordination, and innovation
are essential for rural economic
development.
We collaborate with public, private,
and NGO partners producing rural
development research, education,
and Extension that anticipates needs
and offers effective solutions.
small towns and businesses can’t
afford to identify all the
relevant partners or analyze all
the data they need to make
effective choices.
We enable networks and provide
strategic information to help
communities and businesses across
the South to thrive.
Outline Motivations Vision Networks Big Data Proposals
SRDC social networks
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RCD Specialists at the 29
land grants, SRDC Board,
SRDC TOAC
WRDC, NCRCRD,
NERCRD, NARDeP
NACDEP
PLN, ASRED, AEA,
USDA (NIFA, RD, ERS)
Kellogg, Kettering
Participating community
groups (Tide, Circles, …)
1)
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Researchers and students in
other fields and colleges
CSREES regional projects,
SBCDs, state USDA RD agents
NACO, COGs, Brookings,
SoRSA, RSAI, APA, RSS,
EDA, SBA, NSF, HHS, TVA, DRA,
FED, Gates, Smiley, Mott,
Business and bankers’
associations, teachers and
school boards, societies,
financial education clubs,
Outline Motivations Vision Networks Big Data Proposals
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Issue Networks
2010 World Economic Forum
~200 leaders
list of 50 “risks”
Q1: likelihood?
Q2: severity?
Q2: 3 most connected risks?
Outline Motivations Vision Networks Big Data Proposals
August 24, 2013
What Is Economics Good For?
By Alex Rosenberg and Tyler Curtain
Outline Motivations Vision Networks Big Data Proposals
…with just one more
network measure:
2012 World Economic Forum
Global Risks Map
Compare to 2010 map
Outline Motivations Vision Networks Big Data Proposals
some of my network analysis scholarship
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Kilkenny, Maureen, Laura Nalbarte and Terry Besser (1999) “Reciprocated Community Support and
Small Town, Small Business Success,” Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 11, Aug:231-246.
Kilkenny, Maureen and Laura Nalbarte (2000) Keystone Sector Identification: A Graph Theory-Social
Network Analysis Approach, Web Book of Regional Science, http://www.rri.wvu.edu/regscweb.htm,
West Virginia: Regional Research Institute.
Kilkenny, Maureen (2000) “Private Co-operation for the Public Good” Chapter 26:207-213 in Small
Town and Rural Economic Development, P. Schaeffer and S. Loveridge, editors Praeger Press
Kilkenny, Maureen and Laura Nalbarte (2002) “Keystone Sector Identification” Chapter 16 in Trade,
Networks, and Hierarchies: Modeling Regional and Interregional Economies, edited by G Hewings, M.
Sonis, and D. Boyce, New York: Springer-Verlag.
Kilkenny, Maureen (2008) “Heteromorphous Community Networks” in Spatial Dispersed Production
And Network Governance Invited Papers of the 11th Uddevalla Symposium 2008, edited by Irene
Bernhard; Trollhattan : Department of Economics and IT, University West, Sweden.
Kilkenny, Maureen, and Nerys Fuller-Love (2013) “Network Analysis and Business Networks”
International Journal of Entrepreneurship & Small Business (forthcoming).
Kilkenny, Maureen (2014) “Regional Social Network Analysis” in Charlie Karlsson and Martin
Andersson, editors, Handbook in Research Methods and Applications in Economic Geography
(forthcoming)
Outline Motivations Vision Networks Big Data Proposals
Big Data
Outline Motivations Vision Networks Big Data Proposals
Big Analyses
3,000 regression models were estimated to show the local
effect of % college graduates (resident 1985-90) on
subsequent employment change (1995-2000). Their
contribution VARIES SIGNIFICANTLY across the country.
Outline Motivations Vision Networks Big Data Proposals
Data from 4,000 bank firms and 75,000 bank offices was ‘crunched’
to identify profitable places with few bank offices. The red indicates
rural counties into which bank firms might consider opening a new
branch… (aka ”market research”)
Outline Motivations Vision Networks Big Data Proposals
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anyone care to guess what this data is?
Outline Motivations Vision Networks Big Data Proposals
some of my “Big Analysis” scholarship
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Partridge, Mark D; Stephan J. Goetz, and Maureen R. Kilkenny (2013) “Why We Need Federal Statistical Data
for States and Counties” CHOICES
Monchuk, Daniel, Maureen Kilkenny, and Euan Phimister (2012) “Rural Homeownership and Labour Mobility in
the U.S.” Regional Studies.
Irwin, Elena, Andrew Isserman, Maureen Kilkenny, & Mark Partridge (2010) “A Century of Research on Rural
Development and Regional Issues” American Journal of Agricultural Economics 92(2): 522–553.
Kilkenny, Maureen (2010) “Urban/Regional Economics and Rural Development” Journal of Regional Science
50th Anniversary Issue 50(1) 449-470.
Ahearn, Mary, Maureen Kilkenny, and Sarah Low (2009) “Trends and Volatility in School Finance” American
Journal of Agricultural Economics 91(5):1201-1208.
Kilkenny, Maureen and Mark Partridge (2009) “Export Sectors and Rural Development” American Journal of
Agricultural Economics 91(4):910-929.
Huffman, Sonya and Maureen Kilkenny (2007) “Regional Welfare Program & Labor Force Participation” Papers
in Regional Science 86(2):215-239.
Kilkenny, Maureen, and Robert Jolly (2005) "Are Rural Credit Markets Competitive? Is there room for
competition in rural credit markets?" Choices 20(1)
Kilkenny, Maureen and Sonya Huffman (2003) “Rural/Urban Welfare Program and Labor Force Participation”
American Journal of Agricultural Economics November, 85(4):914-927.
Outline Motivations Vision Networks Big Data Proposals
Project proposals
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provide current strategic information online using GIS, network analysis and Big Data
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Link workers, suppliers, or buyers in one locality with expanding firms in another
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Identify underserved areas in the South
 private markets (eg bank credit, healthcare, …)
 public program participation (e.g., EITC, retraining, CAPE…)
help schools teach and adults learn new economy skills: entrepreneurship, 3-D Printing
raise financial savvy and success
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train financial literacy trainers
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Partner with SBDCs to assist rural business start-ups and pivots
develop spatially-explicit input-output software for regional analysis
Sponsor Southern rural development research “tournaments”
Coordinate “clinic” courses and service learning activities for students
Coordinate “borrow your neighbor’s hen” reciprocity arrangements between faculty in
different states to provide economic analyses of politically sensitive issues
Coordinate the provision of rigorous, scientific program and project evaluation
Outline Motivations Vision Networks Big Data Proposals
Your questions?
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Motivations
Vision for the SRDC
Networks
 Big Data
 Project Proposals
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About me?
Outline Motivations Vision Networks Big Data Proposals
Bio sketch
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Produce buyer & founding member, Davis Food Co-op, 1972-76
Chair, North Oakland Center Council, Berkeley Co-op, 1977-79
MS & PhD, U. Minnesota, Ag. and Applied Economics, 1981-87
Economist, Economic Research Service, USDA, 1987-88
Asst. Prof., Dept. of Economics, Penn State, 1989-91
Asst. Prof., Economics Institute, CU Boulder, 1991-93
Assoc. Prof., Dept. of Economics, Iowa State, 1994-2005
Prof., Dept. of Resource Economics, UNR, 2005-11
Distinguished Visiting Professor, Business School, U. Wales, 2010Senior Fellow, NCFAP, 2010Science Officer, AgConversions, 2012-
Qualifications/experience
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Tenured full professor with 22 years experience in four types of departments
Domestic and internationally known researcher and scholar
Award-winning teacher, advisor, mentor
Director of graduate and undergraduate programs, advising, curriculum,
assessment, recruitment, internships, awards, placement
Founder of two national endowed graduate fellowship programs
Founding director of three university-wide international academic exchanges
Elected chairman of a wide variety of professional associations
Dept, college P&T committee, chair; university panelist: Research; IRB;
Sponsored Programs; Curriculum; member of Faculty Senate
Longstanding partnerships with federal agencies (USDA, Fed, NSF,…)
PD on millions $ multi-state, interdisciplinary, competitively-funded research
Decades of voluntary service on local and state panels and committees
some of my Extension experience
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Provided economic analyses of alternative fiscal packages for the FiRST Blue
Ribbon Panel in Nevada.
Helped write statewide standards for the K-12 economics and finance curricula
for Nevada schools.
Engaged team of community leaders, economic development professionals,
bankers, and Extension specialists in “Geography of Rural Financial
Intermediation” project in IA and SD.
Provided site location assistance to cooperatively-owned ethanol plant start-ups
in Iowa.
Provided economic analyses of business incentive programs to the Governor of
Iowa.
Prepared a variety of ‘on-demand’ research for community groups and
Extension programs on a wide range of topics.
Thank You!
Map of FED districts
 SRDC networks
SRDC states are in six FED regions: 4,5,6,8,10, and 11