R E S E A R C H
                    
My research interests are located at the intersection of REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, particularly in Middle America, and ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY. Although I generally employ quantitative methods (inter-regional input-output analysis, spatial econometrics, applied general equilibrium models, and systems analysis), my recent research is much more eclectic. My primary interest is applied research that addresses real-world issues. To date, most of my substantive work has focused on economic development and policy analysis at regional and local scales in MEXICO and LATIN AMERICA. Some previous and current projects are described below. E-mail me at james.biles@wmich.edu if you would like reprints of any of the articles listed below.

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Previous research projects include:
> Globalization of food retailing and the consequences of walmartization in Mexico (abstract)
> Globalization of finance and local access to credit and banking services in southeastern Mexico (abstract)
> Overview of social science methods used in regional science (abstract)
> Estimation of spatial multipliers at local scale in Yucatán Peninsula (abstract)
> Role of social capital in facilitating the imposition of neo-liberal reforms in Mexico (abstract)
> Viability of maquiladora production as a regional development strategy in Yucatán, Mexico (abstract)
> Potential costs and benefits of economic integration in Chile
> Relationship between neo-liberal policy, socio-economic structure, and agriculture in Mexico (abstract)
> Impact of NAFTA on interregional trade between Mexico and the United States (abstract)

Current research interests and projects include:
> Globalization of food retailing: challenges and opportunities for food producers and small farmers in Mexico (ongoing)
> Globalization of finance and local access to credit and banking services in southeastern Mexico (ongoing)
> Globalization, household consumption patterns, and the geography of solid waste in a Large Latin American City
> Identification and mitigation of urban heat islands in a large Latin American city (with D. Lemberg)
> Estimation of spatial multipliers at local scale for Southwest Michigan
> Spatial analysis of Section 8 housing in Grand Rapids, Michigan (with L. Fishell)

If you are a student with an interest in any of the above areas and/or possible graduate study in Geography at Western Michigan University, contact me at 269.387.3407 or james.biles@wmich.edu.