Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

This paper analyzes local and state government actions and potential strategies in responding to global economic and environmental trends affecting Wyoming's economy. The state’s newly codified 20-year economic development strategy, known as the Economically Needed Diversity Options for Wyoming (ENDOW) initiative, is explored through former University of Wyoming and environmental economist Edward Barbier's Balanced Wealth Strategy theory. The relationship which Barbier posits between human capital investment and natural capital valuation and its effect on resource-rich, developing economies forms the basis for the logic analysis; this is explored through ENDOW’s adoption of certain economic indicators and the prescribed action steps embedded within its policies. Local and state government data, as well as private sector data from Wyoming’s prominent mining industry, are utilized. The resulting analysis illustrates the lingering political and structural history influencing Wyoming’s policy approaches to advancing its economy and estimates possible implications over ENDOW’s 20-year lifespan.