Depro presents research at Southern Economic Association meeting

His research focused on clean air laws, jobs and the Great Recession in Pennsylvania. 

Brooks Depro, assistant professor of economics
Assistant Professor of Economics Brooks Depro recently presented one of his research projects at the 88th Annual Meeting of the Southern Economic Association, in Washington, D.C.  

Depro’s presentation focused on clean air laws, jobs and the Great Recession in Pennsylvania, a state with a history that dramatically showed the nation the health dangers of smog. Analysis of manufacturing job statistics confirms that the Great Recession curbed the state’s net manufacturing job creation rate. 

Initially, the findings suggest that industries located in counties that did not meet national smog standards also tended to fair worse during the Great Recession. The results may help explain, in part, the controversial regulatory decisions made during smog standard reviews that occurred during and after the Great Recession.