Heather Stephens, director of the Regional Research Institute and professor of community and economic development at WVU, will help lead a free virtual event discussing infrastructure investments in distressed rural places and the role of the federally chartered regional commissions at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday (Jan. 15).
The WVU community is invited to register to attend the event online.
Hosted by the Brookings Institution, the public event will feature Stephens and Brookings senior fellow Tony Pipa who will engage the federal co-chairs of the Appalachian Regional Commission (Gayle Connelly Manchin), Delta Regional Authority (Corey Wiggins) and Northern Border Regional Commission (Chris Saunders) on the insights offered by their recent report, “Unlocking investment in distressed rural places: Comparing the infrastructure funding of select federally chartered regional commissions versus federal programs.”
Infrastructure investment is an essential component of economic growth and productivity, Stephens said, yet underinvestment in infrastructure has been a long-standing issue in rural America, home to some of the most distressed communities in the nation. The federally chartered regional commissions are mandated to direct their federal resources — including for infrastructure — to the distressed communities within their service areas.
With billions of dollars making their way to communities from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, Stephens and Pipa said they believe it is critical to understand the opportunities and barriers for distressed rural communities to access infrastructure investment from both federal agencies and the regional commissions.
Stephens’ work focuses on issues related to regional economic development and the differences in the impact of policies across regions. Her current and past research has examined questions related to energy, environmental quality, entrepreneurship, health and regional growth. Her work has been published in journals that include the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Environmental and Resource Economics, Growth and Change, Journal of Regional Science, Resource and Energy Economics and Small Business Economics. She serves on the Bureau of Economic Analysis Advisory Council and as the chair of the technical advisory committee for the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development.
Viewers can submit questions for speakers by emailing events@brookings.edu or via X @BrookingsGlobal using #RuralInvestment.