Financing State And Local Economic Development

The contributors discuss alternative methods of financing state and local economic development, including the role of venture capital in urban development, the role of banking institutions in encouraging the growth of small business, and the place of pension funds in economic growth.

This report discusses the findings from a mail survey of local government economic development activities that was sent to all 540 municipalities and 100 counties in North Carolina. An important part of the analysis examines whether cities and counties differ significantly in their economic development efforts and whether smaller jurisdictions employ different types of development strategies and tools than larger ones. The survey findings also highlight the barriers that local governments face in promoting economic development and identify important technical assistance needs and gaps in local capacity.

First published in 1997. Part of the contemporary urban affairs series this volume looks at the local economic development policy of the United States and Canada. Laura Reese compares and analyzes local economic development efforts in Michigan and Ontario. She seeks to redress the paucity of literature comparing local economic development in the United States and Canada. Her goal is to examine and refine current theories of economic development policy-making to include the role of professional bureaucrats and to test an explanatory model which operates cross-nationally. Her study documents significant statutory differences of local economic development policies between the United States and Canada. At the same time, it shows that the similarities are greater than the differences. It is in the bureaucratic world where the differences really narrow.

Examines the many issues raised by TIF, the most widely used tool of local economic and community development. This book brings together leading experts to examine the evolving nature of tax increment financing (TIF), the most widely used tool of local economic and community development. Originally designed as an innovative approach to the redevelopment of blighted areas, it has become a more general-purpose tool of economic and community development. Contributors offer case studies of the uses, structures, and impacts of TIF projects alongside more general discussions on the theoretical, financial, and legal bases for the use of TIF. They also explore its effect on overlapping jurisdictions such as cities, counties, and school districts. Some of the case studies capture TIF at its best—redeveloping areas that would likely never develop without substantial incentives. Other cases highlight questionable uses, especially where it has been used in new ways that those who developed the tool never envisioned. Originally published in 2001, the book was called “...a major contribution to the debate on the efficacy of such economic development financing tools as TIF...” by the journal Public Budgeting & Finance. Clear, comprehensive, and timely, this new edition features the latest research and thinking on TIF, including the political, legal, and even ethical issues surrounding its use. Craig L. Johnson is Associate Professor of Public Finance and Policy Analysis at Indiana University. He is the coauthor (with Martin J. Luby and Tima T. Moldogaziev) of State and Local Financial Instruments: Policy Changes and Management. Kenneth A. Kriz is University Distinguished Professor of Public Administration at the University of Illinois at Springfield.