Economic Restructuring and the Restructuring of Economic Development Practice: A New York Perspective, 1985-1995

The economic development forces that caused regional economies in the United States to restructure also triggered a change in the practice of economic development at the local level to accommodate those forces. This article provides a reflection on the ways in which the scope and practice of economic development changed from 1985 to 1995 in western New York State. Over the decade, practice moved away from concern about equity and poverty in older urban cores, largely funded by the federal government, to a regional focus on business development and retention that depended on multiple streams offending that were dominated by state and local spending, and private sector participation. The Western New York Economic Development Corporation was an agency established to address development in this new environment.