Evaluation of targeted development programs is made difficult by undefined or multiple goals, reliance on inappropriate aggregate units and levels for analysis, and neglect of distributional consequences resulting from development policy choices. This article presents a strategy for evaluating...

In this article, the authors propose an approach to investigate regional economic structure, sectoral productivity, and relative efficiency by using a modified shift-share model and data envelopment analysis (DEA). To illustrate the proposed approach’s usefulness, the authors applied it...

This article explores Pennsylvania’s enterprise zone program as an economic development strategy in one city—Philadelphia. Given the underlying corporate-centered focus of economic development policies, it focuses on whether such policies can effectively reduce the high rate of...

Much written attention has been given to the rise of technologically dynamic industrial regions. These regions are characterized by the spatial clustering of small firms into flexible production networks that have the ability to quickly respond to changing global markets. Case studies generally...

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) makes public works investments in distressed areas throughout the nation. In this study, these investments are found to have significantly positive effects on county employment levels after controlling for a...

Environmental permitting today is a complex process that can impose significant costs on firms. To simplify this process, many state and local governments have created permit assistance programs, often referring to them as “one-stop permitting†programs. In this article, specific ways...

A lack of detailed data on state tax incentive programs has limited the assessment of their economic impacts. However, in 1987, the Nebraska legislature, as part of its new business tax incentive initiative, required that the state Department of Revenue collect data on all business tax incentive...