WHATS A CITY TO DO - EXPLAINING DIFFERENCES IN LOCAL ECONOMIC-DEVELOPMENT POLICIES

The growth and decline of communities have become major policy concerns for all levels of government in the United States. This note relies on two theoretical perspectives and a national sample of cities to analyze the variation in local economic development policies. The evidence suggests that both broader economic or social forces ("structure") and the actions of local political and economic actors ("agency") influence local economic development efforts. Among the best predictors of the economic development policies adopted by a city are its total population, metropolitan status, poverty level, property tax burden, the type of local organization serving as lead actor in promoting economic development, the adoption of an economic development plan, and the presence of a specialized city agency for economic development.