| Abstract | This thesis addresses the issue of the economic and employment benefits of unconventional oil and gas developments which use the controversial hydraulic fracturing technique. In this work, attention is focused on the state and local (county) levels. A major 2012 study by IHS containing the projected economic and employment benefits of unconventional oil and gas developments is reviewed. It is found that the projected economic and employment benefits are highly concentrated in the producing states (i.e., those allowing unconventional oil and gas developments) as compared to the non-producing states (i.e., those not allowing unconventional oil and gas developments, or having no oil and gas resources). Similarly, an historical county-by-county analysis of job growth and per-capita income for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (part of which lies above the Marcellus Shale) has been carried out using data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data shows solid correlations between increases in employment and per capita income with the degree of unconventional oil and gas activity occurring in a particular county. |
