Assessing the Direct Employment Impact of Federal Economic Stimulus Funds on Construction Projects in Texas

Owing to the 2008 economic downturn in the United States, the construction industry lost 632,000 jobs nationally, of which approximately 100,000 were in Texas. In response to the economic recession, a stimulus package known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), was signed by President Obama on March 6, 2009. This paper presents the results of a study examining the construction employment impact of ARRA spending on Texas transportation projects. The primary goal of this study was to estimate direct employment in the construction industry from spending on construction projects. By using regression analysis, the study assesses employment from data on Texas Department of Transportation projects that used ARRA funds, showing that employment generated by construction projects depends on project type, size, and location urbanization. The findings can be useful to policy makers in allocating funds on construction projects when employment stimulation is an objective.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000268
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/0742597X
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
• Authors:
  • Kim, Dae Young
  • Persad, Khali R.
  • Harrison, Robert
  • Loftus-Otway, Lisa
  • 0000-0001-5143-9513
• Publication Date: 2014-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: References;
• Pagination: 04014010
• Serial:
  • Journal of Management in Engineering
  • Volume: 30
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers
  • ISSN: 0742-597X
  • Serial URL: http://ascelibrary.org/loi/jmenea

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Construction industry; Construction projects; Economic factors; Employment; Government funding; Investments; Project management; Recession
• Identifier Terms: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
• Uncontrolled Terms: Economic stimulus
• Geographic Terms: Texas
• Subject Areas: Construction; Economics; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I10: Economics and Administration; I50: Construction and Supervision of Construction;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01519925
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, ASCE
• Created Date: Mar 26 2014 10:11AM