The sustained surge in self-employment since 2000 has largely gone unnoticed by policy makers and economic developers. Here the authors document this surge and identify variables associated with expanding self-employment. Results provide mixed evidence about the importance of capital access to...

This study uses a contingent valuation model to evaluate visitors’ stated willingness to pay (WTP) for recreation at Colorado “Fourteenersâ€: peaks that rise higher than 14,000 feet. The study also assesses the respondents’ self-reported response uncertainty. One scenario...

Research into tax increment financing (TIF) effectiveness has yielded mixed results, often under extensive controls. Until recently, no study had considered or controlled for the potential effects of internal management practices, including preproject planning and postimplementation performance...

This article simulates job and fiscal impacts of the Michigan Economic Growth Authority’s tax credit program for job creation, commonly called “MEGA.†Under plausible assumptions about how such credits affect business location decisions, the net costs per job created of the MEGA...

Economic development practitioners and theorists recognize that community-based strategies offer the best opportunity for rural economic development. But, rural communities also need assistance in identifying and implementing their strategies. Two key needs are financial support and technical...

Observers of state economic development policy in the United States have identified two conceptually distinct approaches, often termed industrial recruitment and entrepreneurial policies, and debated the extent to which a “third wave†of policy emergent during the 1990s represents a...

Values-based supply chains (VBSCs) have emerged as a structure to enhance the viability of mid-scale farms while preserving jobs and rural economies. They involve partnerships between producers, processors, distributors, retailers, and food service operators who share environmental, economic,...