Airport activity and labor productivity in United States metropolitan regions

U.S. air transportation expanded significantly in many dimensions during the last decade. This dissertation investigates the implication of this expansion on labor productivity at the metropolitan level.; Using theoretical insights from regional science, urban economics and the results of empirical studies on U.S. regional and urban economic growth, the dissertation develops and uses a conceptual framework and an econometric model to conduct an analysis of airport activity and regional economic data for 295 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas. The parameters of the model are estimated using ordinary least squares and two-stage least squares techniques.; The results show a positive statistically significant relationship between airport activity levels, measured as enplanements and labor productivity, measured as the average wage per job, for U.S. MSA's. The results of the study are also consistent with results of other studies on regional economic growth using similar data sets. They also show that regional specialization in producer services has a positive effect on level of airport activity while specialization in consumer services tends to be associated negatively with airport activity.; The study concludes with discussions of possible areas for further research and a number of ways the results can be used in developing economic-growth oriented policies that involve the expansion of regional airport services. The conclusion also highlights key limitations of the results.