Dr. Jesse Lane

Assistant Professor of Geography

Honors Program Director

Education

• Ph.D. Geography
• M.S. Geospatial Science
• B.S. Social Science Secondary Education

Courses Taught

• Introduction to Geography
• Honors Introduction to Geography
• Fundamentals of GPS
• Economic Globalization
• Image Interpretation and Analysis
• Survey of Geospatial Technology
• Geographic Approaches to Research
• Sustainable Economic Development
• Geography of the Global South
• Geopolitics of the Drug Trade

Academic Interests

I am a human geographer concerned with the relationship between people and place, especially the political and economic sphere. I have taught a variety of courses at Northwest Missouri and other universities concerning topics on economic development, political economy, human geography, earth science, physical geography, world regional geography, GPS fundamentals, UAV technologies, and geographic information systems. While my specialty is the analysis of place-based economic policy and its impact on community development, I have a wide range of interests in the classroom and in research within the field of human geography.

Research:

My research consists of various studies related to uneven development, maritime trade, and access to food and physical activity. Much of my research has focused specifically on the impact of foreign-trade zones (FTZs) on patterns of development. This policy program has resulted in the clustering of manufacturing and trade-based firms in large urban regions at the expense of rural neighboring communities. Additionally, the clustering of dirty industries near minority communities has resulted in an increase in cancer rates and the degradation of fisheries along hardened shorelines. I have also expanded my research into the field of health geographies with publications concerning accessibility to fresh foods and physical activity, two important aspects of healthy lifestyles. Additional research interests include: the impact of the Missouri Enhanced Enterprise Zone (EEZ) program on economic development and poverty reduction, and the political economy of drug trafficking.

Scholarly Activity

My most recent publication analyzed the impact of the Missouri Enhanced Enterprise Zone (EEZ) program on economic development patterns. Results indicate that the EEZs lead to a decline in incomes, the number of businesses, and increases in poverty levels and unemployment rates. The only variable positively impacted by EEZs were total annual payroll, indicating that EEZs are only helping a small portion of the public, but having a negative impact on local economies as a whole.

Publications: Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles:

• Lane, J. M. (2026). Missouri’s Enhanced Enterprise Zones: The success or failure of a state-run place-based economic policy. Papers in Applied Geography. 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/23754931.2026.2613967
• Davis, B. A. & Lane, J. M. (2025). Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan health deserts in the Southeastern United States: Socioeconomic Impacts and Diverging Results. Southeastern Geographer, 65(3), 217-246. https://doi.org/10.1353/sgo.0.a959212
• Lane, J. M. (2024). The foreign-trade zone and its impact on neighboring communities in Mobile, Alabama. Southeastern Geographer, 64(1), 128-155. https://doi.org/10.1353/sgo.2024.a920710
• Lane, J. M., & Liu, Z. J. (2022). The impact of foreign-trade zones on county level development: A temporal analysis. Papers in Applied Geography, 8(4), 452-467. https://doi.org/10.1080/23754931.2022.2110846
• Lane, J. M. & Davis, B. A. (2022). Food, physical activity, and health deserts in Alabama: The spatial link between healthy eating, exercise, and socioeconomic factors. Geojournal, 87, 5229–5249. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-021-10568-2
• Lane, J. M. & Pretes, M. (2020). Maritime dependency and economic prosperity: Why access to oceanic trade matters. Marine Policy, 121, 104180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104180
• Lane, J. M. (2020). Foreign-trade zones in the Southeastern United States: Do they promote economic development or lead to spatial inequality? Southeastern Geographer, 60(2), 141-158. https://doi.org/10.1353/sgo.2020.0012

Publications: Chapters in Edited Volumes:

• Lane, J. M. (2018). Maritime trade. In R. F. Buschmann & L. Nolde (Eds.). The world's oceans: Geography, history, and environment (pp. 297-300). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.

Selected Conference Presentations:

• Southeastern Division of the American Association of Geographers (SEDAAG); Lexington, KY; November 24, 2025: The Opportunity Zone Program and its Impact on County-Level Development in the Contiguous United States.
• Southeastern Division of the American Association of Geographers (SEDAAG); Greenville, SC; November 25, 2024: Missouri’s Enhanced Enterprise Zones: The Success or Failure of a State-Run Place-Based Economic Policy.
• Southeastern Division of the American Association of Geographers (SEDAAG); Norfolk, VA; November 20, 2023: Urban and Rural Health Deserts in the Southeast: Socioeconomic Impacts and Diverging Trends. (Brett A. Davis, co-presenter).
• Southeastern Division of the American Association of Geographers (SEDAAG); Atlanta, GA; November 21, 2022: The Foreign-Trade Zone in Mobile, Alabama and its Impact on Neighboring Communities.

Work Under Preparation:

• Lane, J. M. (2027). Geopolitics of the drug trade: The role of intelligence, state institutions, criminal syndicates, and parastate actors in global narcotics networks. Book currently in manuscript form.
• Lane, J. M. (2027). Foreign-trade zones: How corporations and the state colluded for control of space. Book currently in manuscript form.

Student Group Advisement

• Director of the Honors Program
• Gamma Theta Upsilon Honor Society, Faculty Advisor

Other Professional Experience

• Geography Discipline Lead
• Northwest Faculty Senate, Secretary
• Missouri Geographic Information Systems Advisory Council, Representative
• IDEAL Committee, Southeastern Division of the American Association of Geographers (SEDAAG), Committee Chair
• Editor-in-Chief of The North Carolina Geographer

Selected Fellowships and Honors:

• Student Impact Award, 2025: Northwest Missouri State University; received
• Commitment to Student Success Award,2025: Northwest Missouri State University; received
• CASE Excellence Award: Outstanding Faculty Lecturer, 2021-2022: University of North Alabama; nominated
• Diversity Initiatives Mini-Grant, 2020-2021: Funding for a proposed National Geographic Giant Map educational initiative; University of North Carolina at Greensboro; received
• Gordon Bennett Award for Outstanding Geography Graduate Student, 2021, an award given “In recognition of excellence in research, teaching, and service in the school and discipline of Geography.”
• Gamma Theta Upsilon honor society inductee, 2019
• Phi Kappa Phi honor society inductee, 2014
• Phi Alpha Theta honor society inductee, 2009