Michael L. Lahr

expertise: regional science, applied microeconomics, regional economics, input-output analysis, economic impact analysis, urban economics, housing economics

MICHAEL L. LAHR, Assistant Research Professor at the Center for Urban Policy Research (CUPR), is a regional economist with a strong interest in policy analysis. Dr. Lahr is Associate Director of CUPR's Rutgers Economic Advisory Service (R/ECON™). In 1996 he was a member of the team that crafted The State of the Nations Cities: America's Changing Urban Life, a report and database on urban indicators that won an award at the United Nations Habitat II conference in Istanbul in June 1996.

As part of R/ECON™ team, Dr. Lahr primarily works on special projects associated with measuring the economic impacts of events, operations, and construction projects. In one recent project (TELUS), he used a multiregional input-output model of northern New Jersey to estimate the economic impacts of transportation construction expenditures. In another he estimated the annual economic impacts of historic preservation on the New Jersey economy through construction activity, heritage tourism, and the expenditures of historic sites. Another of Lahr's research efforts measured the economic impact of the recoding of groundwater in Newark's Ironbound district from potable to nonpotable. Most of Dr. Lahr's published work relates to improving the accuracy of regional input-output models.

In other recent work, Dr. Lahr co-authored an article on welfare program participation rates by metropolitan area. He also developed a quality-of-life index based on economic theory. In related work, he measured urban stress using a factor analytic approach. He also developed indices of the relative cost of doing business and of the cost of living across U.S. metropolitan areas. He also evaluated the extent touch the economy of New York City drives the economic growth of its suburbs, and how the City's role as driver has changed.

Prior to Dr. Lahr's arrival at CUPR, he served as Assistant Editor of the Journal of Regional Science and analyzed rural economies at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service. He taught urban studies and public economics courses at Bryn Mawr College and the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Lahr has modeled economies for two regional economic consulting organizations. Prior to obtaining his Ph.D., Lahr worked at Battelle Memorial Institute, where he guided the development of technology-based strategic plans for Fortune 500 firms and estimated the markets for emerging products.

lahr@rci.rutgers.edu