"Recommended." - CHOICE

..."a valuable addition to the literature, with special value as a compendium of works on Wal-Mart." - Eastern Economic Journal

"Most books on Wal-Mart come down clearly for or against Wal-Mart within their first ten pages. The Local Economic Impact of Wal-Mart is not one of those books. Instead, Hicks carefully presents evidence on the in-fluence of Wal-Mart on a variety of issues ... a clear and level-headed approach to a divisive public policy issue from a distinctly regional perspective ... anyone interested in the impact of Wal-Mart on local economies will benefit from reading The Local Economic Impact of Wal-Mart, regardless of their current feelings toward the retailer." - The Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy

"[The author] is interested in facts. He asks the right questions and provides the answers that thorough research suggests. He surveys the weight of evidence and analysis in the existing literature, and adds some informed insights of his own. This is what good economists are supposed to do. There are no wild claims or hidden agendas here. This book is a triumph of empiricism over mysticism." - Lawrence W. Reed, President, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Midland, Michigan

Michael J. Hicks is Director of the Bureau of Business Research and Associate Professor at Ball State University. Prior to this appointment, he was an Associate Professor of Economics at the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management. He was also a Research Professor at Marshall University and an Adjunct Scholar at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

Dr. Hicks holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in economics from the University of Tennessee, and a B.A. in economics from Virginia Military Institute. He has authored over 100 scholarly studies and has research appearing in history, management, economics, medical and defense journals. Dr. Hicks has won several awards for military service, research and teaching.

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Section I: The History and Measurement of Wal-Mart

Chapter One – The Chain Store Historically Considered

The War on the Chains 1930–1941

The Big-Box Format

Federal Law and the Growth of Chain Stores

Chapter Two – Measuring Wal-Mart

Assessing Wal-Mart’s Impacts

Economic Theory and Wal-Mart’s Impact

The Income Effect

The Clustering Effect

The Labor Productivity Effect

Measuring the Impact of Wal-Mart

How to Interpret the Statistics in this Book

Chapter Three – The Diffusion of Wal-Mart’s Entrance

Some Economic Analysis of How Wal-Mart Locates Stores

Some New Evidence of Wal-Mart’s Entrance Behavior

Section II: The Commercial Impacts

Chapter Four – The Labor Market Impacts of Wal-Mart

Modern Estimates of Wal-Mart’s Impact

Walk-Mart’s Labor Market Impacts in Indiana

Wal-Mart Distribution Centers

Summary

Chapter Five – The Impact of Wal-Mart on the Market for Goods and Services

Wal-Mart in Iowa: A Rigorous Examination of Stone’s Classic Work

The Structure and Spatial Distribution of the Retail Industry

Why Value Competition?

Wal-Mart’s Effect on Consumer Prices

Chapter Six – The Impact of Wal-Mart on the Aggregate Economy

The Aggregate Labor Market

Wal-Mart and Manufacturing

Wal-Mart’s Profits: A Supplier Comparison

Wal-Mart and Land Value

An Examination of Washington and Economic Stability

Summary

Section III: The Fiscal Impacts of Wal-Mart

Chapter Seven – Wal-Mart and Local Tax Revenues

The Research on Local Taxes and Wal-Mart

The Dynamics of Local Sales Tax Collections: Evidence from Maine

Chapter Eight – Wal-Mart and Local Expenditures

Tax Incentives and Corporate Welfare

The Effectiveness of Tax Incentives to Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart and Subsidies in California

Chapter Nine – Wal-Mart and Antipoverty Programs

A Discussion of Antipoverty Programs

Wal-Mart’s Affect on Antipoverty Programs

Some New Analysis of Wal-Mart and Medicaid Enrollment in Maryland

Summary

Section IV: Social Impacts of Wal-Mart

Chapter Ten – The Poor, the Philanthropist, and the Mom-and-Pop Store

Wal-Mart’s Impact on Poverty and Income Distribution

Wal-Mart’s Impact on Philanthropy

Wal-Mart and Mom-and-Pop Stores

Mom-and-Pop Stores in Iowa

Chapter Eleven – The Social Aspects of Labor Market: Unions and Participation

Wal-Mart’s Impact on U.S. Labor Force Participation

Is Wal-Mart Influencing Union Participation?

Chapter Twelve – Wal-Mart and the Local Environment: Ghostboxes and Sprawl

Greyfields and Ghostboxes

Wal-Mart’s Impact on Urban Sprawl

Summary

Section V: State and Local Public Policy and Wal-Mart

Chapter Thirteen – State and Local Restrictions on Wal-Mart

Local Restrictions on Big-Box Stores

State-Level Restrictions on Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart and the Fair Share Health Care Tax

The Law and Economics of the Wal-Mart Tax

Chapter Fourteen – On Loving and Hating Wal-Mart: A Summary and Policy Recommendations

References

Index