Traditional social and economic development program evaluations are based on measurable program goals, with discrete program components, a control group, and the potential to generalize from findings. Although this works for programs with well-defined outcomes, limited participation, and a...

Policy makers rely on cost-benefit analysis (CBA) to help them select the best policies and projects to alleviate poverty. But CBA, as practiced in the United States, not only fails to inform policy makers about the best use of scarce resources but helps make poverty worse for many people....

“Third-wave†state economic development strategies have been widely acknowledged to reduce high-stakes incentives and promotions and have shifted emphasis from firm-based programs to broader regional programs. Although the change is well documented, less consensus has emerged about...

Regional policy makers have always wrestled in vain to come up with regional economic development policies that are coherent and uniform and can be defended on economic grounds. However, most policies are either ad hoc or based on political considerations. The relevant literature dealing with...