The Spatial Structure of Large U. S. Law Firms

Large law firms exert a disproportionate influence over the structure and practice of the legal profession. The spatial structure of these corporations, including the distribution of headquarters and branch offices and their interlinkages, is poorly understood. This paper explores the geography of domestic employment among the largest U. S. 500 law firms using linkage analysis. It highlights the concentration of such firms in large cities and the particular importance of New York and Washington, D. C. In the international arena, U. S. law firms are highly influential. The paper examines the spatial distribution of overseas employment by large U. S. law firms and utilizes input-output analysis to explore the domestic employment impacts of foreign legal services exports.     

The U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement and Commodity Transportation Services among U.S. States

The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) implemented beginning in 1989 by the United States aid Canada will have significant impacts on bilateral trading patterns. In addition to its long-term, investment-related repercussions, the FTA will affect the volume, commodity composition, and spatial distribution of trade and, consequently, the transportation services required to move commodities between the two nations. This paper examines the changing spatial structure of U.S.-Canadian trade under the FTA. It employs commodity-specific analyses of tariffs and non-tariff barriers, as well as price and income elasticities of demand, to estimate sectoral and special changes among U.S. states in total, land, water, and airborne commodity flows since 1988 attributable to the FTA. The analysis details the assumptions and methodology used, elaborates upon the likely consequences for me nation's ten largest customs districts, particularly New York, and concludes with some comments on other forces that may alter the expected results.     

Spatial Dimensions of the Savings and Loan Crisis

Large numbers of savings and loan companies (S&Ls) failed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This paper explores the origins and development of the S&L Crisis, embedding the topic within the wider theorization of the post-Keynesian state, particularly the critical role played by deregulation. Next it focuses on the geography of S&L failures and their causes. Third, an econometric analysis of the determinants of S&L failures finds them to be highly susceptible to local economic conditions. Fourth, it examines inter-regional transfers of failed S&L assets and liabilities, and measures statistically the importance of proximity between buying and selling regions as well as the economic structure of the purchasing region. The conclusion contrasts these findings to those of commercial bank failures.