Research by David Swenson, associate scientist, was cited in a Feb. 26 Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier story on how much money Iowa would lose if it loses the first-in-the-nation caucus.
"Republicans allotted $5.8 million to Iowa, Democrats spent $9.8 million. In all, a half a year’s activity by 14 presidential candidates yielded $21.3 million in total output in Iowa, of which $11.01 million was value added, and $7.34 million was labor income to 229 jobs. That’s a very small amount—.0085%—of Iowa’s gross domestic product of $130 billion in 2007, and that total should be divided by four since the caucuses are a quadrennial event.
Swenson also talked with Trent Rice, anchor/reporter for iHeart Radio, about why the stock market is reacting so strongly to the coronavirus.
Swenson was also quoted in a March 6 story in The Neighbor titled, "Dollar General becomes familiar ominous rival for Kingsley, Iowa, grocer."
David Swenson, an economist at Iowa State University, said the struggles of small grocers can't be laid solely at the feet of Dollar General.
"The reason the grocery stores are closing is not just Dollar General, it's because the density of local demand purchases has either gone down because of population going down, or that peoples' purchasing preferences have shifted, so they're doing more of their shopping where they work (in larger towns)," Swenson said.