A shift and share analysis applied to the Newfoundland resource potential region

The shift and share technique is applied to analyze the resource development of Newfoundland, and as well, the effectiveness of the technique in formulating a policy for the resource development of Newfoundland and similar resource potential regions has been investigated. The shift and share technique is useful in analyzing the weaknesses and strengths of the economy by enabling the comparison of a region's resources with a benchmark. Moreover, it seperates the effect of location factors (that is, factors affecting the access to inputs and markets) on a region's growth from the effect of the overall composition of the resource mix peculiar to a region. -- The study is composed of three parts. Part I deals with Newfoundland and its resource potential in the context of regional economic development. Part II critically examines the shift and share technique, its calculation and significance as an analytical tool, as well as its theoretical framework. Part III presents an application of the shift and share technique. The technique is applied to total population, urban population, rural farm population, total income, employment and the fishing and mining industries presented in Chapters V, VI, VII, VIII, IX and X respectively. In Chapter XI, the helpfulness of the technique is discussed, while pointing out that it should be applied cautiously if misleading results are to be avoided. -- The usefulness of the shift and share technique is enhanced by its careful application. If applied mechanically it may not only provide misleading results, but the implication of the results for policy purposes may also be unsound at times. This is mainly because the technique cannot take into account all of the variables involved. The accuracy of the results derived from the technique should therefore be tested with information derived from the practical experience, with results obtained from other techniques or by using logic