Are local economic development incentives promoting job growth? An empirical case study

At a time when cities are competing with one another to attract or retain jobs within a globalizing economy, city governments are providing an array of financial incentives to stimulate job growth and retain existing jobs, particularly in high cost locations. This paper provides the first systematic and comprehensive analysis of datasets on economic development incentives in New York City over the last fifteen years. The evidence on job retention and creation is mixed. Although many companies do not meet their agreed-upon job targets in absolute terms, the evidence suggests that companies receiving subsidies outperform their respective industries in terms of employment growth, that is, the grow more, or decline less. We emphasize that this finding is difficult to interpret, since firms receiving incentives may not be representative of the industry as a whole. In other words, their above-average performance may simply reflect the fact that the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) selects economically promising companies within manufacturing (or other industries) when granting incentives. At the same time, it is also possible that receiving incentives helps these companies to become stronger.

Local economic development and territorial competitiveness in Latin America

Includes bibliography

From national to local economic development: theoretical issues

Includes bibliography

Knowledge and culture: two significant issues for local level development programme analysis

O artigo objetiva propor um arcabouço teórico para analisar programas de desenvolvimento e suas ações em nível local. Em particular, o artigo destaca dois conceitos-chave que devem ser levados em consideração no processo de implementação de programas de desenvolvimento em nível local: conhecimento e cultura. O artigo mostra que o entendimento do conhecimento enquanto construção social contrasta com a perspectiva racional e positivista de que este é derivado exclusivamente da ciência. O artigo mostra que se desenvolvimento é relacionado para a melhoria das condições de vida das pessoas por via de mudanças econômicas e sociais, então, desenvolvimento é mediado e impacta sobre conhecimento e cultura.

Topics in Local Economic Development

This thesis contributes to the current debate in literature about local economic development by considering two different topics: quality of institutions, and the role of clusters in innovation and productivity growth. The research is built upon three papers. The first paper deals with the analysis of the effect of administrative continuity on administrative efficiency. The analysis underlines the importance of different typologies of social capital. Findings reveal a positive impact on administrative efficiency (AE) by administrative continuity (AC) when it is coupled by bridging and linking social capital. On the contrary, bonding social capital influences negatively the effect by AC on AE. The second paper investigates the spatial interaction in levels of quality of government (QoG) among European regions. Notwithstanding the largely recognised role by institutions in the design of regional policies, no study has been conducted about the mechanisms of interaction and diffusion of QoG at regional level. This research wants to overcome this knowledge gap in literature. Findings reveal a heterogeneity in spatial interaction among groups of regions, i.e. ‘leader regions’ (Northern regions) and ‘lagging regions’ (Southern regions), when considering different mechanisms of interaction (learning / imitating competition and pure competition). Moreover, the effect of wealth on the levels of QoG is nonlinear. Finally, the third paper analyses the relation among specialization and productivity within the agricultural sector. In literature, the study of clusters dynamics has long neglected agriculture. The analysis describes the changes in sectorial specialization for eight main crop groups in Italian regions (NUTS 3), assessing the existence of spatial autocorrelations by using an exploratory data analysis. Furthermore, the effect of specialization on productivity is analysed within the main crop groups using a spatial panel data model. Findings reveal a marked tendency to specialization in the Italian agriculture, and a heterogeneous effect by specialization on productivity.

A New Symbiosis: Municipalities, Private Contractors and Non-Governmental Organisations for the Provision of Local Public Services"

This project considered the second stage of transforming local administration and public service management to reflect democratic forms of government. In Hungary in the second half of the 1990s more and more public functions delegated to local governments have been handed over to the private or civil sectors. This has led to a relative decrease of municipal functions but not of local governments' responsibilities, requiring them to change their orientation and approach to their work so as to be effective in their new roles of managing these processes rather than traditional bureaucratic administration. Horvath analysed the Anglo-Saxon, French and German models of self-government, identifying the differing aspects emphasised in increasing the private sector's role in the provision of public services, and the influence that this process has on the system of public administration. He then highlighted linkages between actors and local governments in Hungary, concluding that the next necessary step is to develop institutional mechanisms, financial incentives and managerial practices to utilise the full potential of this process. Equally important is the need for conscious avoidance of restrictive barriers and unintended consequences, and for local governments to confront the social conflicts that have emerged in parallel with privatisation. A further aspect considered was a widening of the role of functional governance at local level in the field of human services. A number of different special purpose bodies have been set up in Hungary, but the results of their work are unclear and Horvath feels that this institutionalisation of symbiosis is not the right path in Hungary today. He believes that the change from local government to local governance will require the formulation of specific public policy, the relevance of which can be proven by processes supported with actions.

A first chironomid-based summer temperature reconstruction (13–5 ka BP) around 49°N in inland Europe compared with local lake development

Temperature reconstructions for the end of the Pleistocene and the first half of the Holocene based on biotic proxies are rare for inland Europe around 49°N. We analysed a 7 m long sequence of lake deposits in the Vihorlat Mts in eastern Slovakia (820 m a.s.l.). Chironomid head capsules were used to reconstruct mean July temperature (TJuly), other proxies (diatoms, green algae, pollen, geochemistry) were used to reconstruct local environmental changes that might have affected the climate reconstruction, such as epilimnetic total phosphorus concentrations (TP), lake level changes and development of surrounding vegetation. During the Younger Dryas (YD), temperature fluctuated between 7 and 11 °C, with distinct, decadal to centennial scale variations, that agree with other palaeoclimate records in Europe such as δ18O content in stalagmites or Greenland ice cores. The results indicate that the site was somewhat colder than expected from the general south-to-north YD temperature gradient within Europe, possibly because of north-facing exposition. The warmer phases of the YD were characterised by low water level or even complete desiccation of the lake (12,200-12,400 cal yr BP). At the Late-Glacial/Holocene transition TJuly steeply increased from from 11 to 15.5 °C (11,700-11,400 cal yr BP) - the highest TJuly for entire sequence. This rapid climate change was reflected by all proxies as a compositional change and increasing species diversity. The open woodlands of Pinus, Betula, Larix and Picea were replaced by broad-leaved temperate forests dominated by Betula, later by Ulmus and finally by Corylus (ca 9700 cal yr BP). At the same time, input of eroded coarse-grained material into the lake decreased and organic matter (LOI) and biogenic silica increased. The Early-Holocene climate was rather stable till 8700 cal yr BP, with temporary decrease in TJuly around 11,200 cal yr BP. The lake was productive with a well-developed littoral, as indicated by both diatoms and chironomids. A distinct decline of TJuly to 10 °C between 8700 and 8000 cal yr BP was associated with decreasing chironomid diversity and increasing climate moistening indicated by pollen. Tychoplanktonic and phosphorus-demanding diatoms increased which might be explained by hydrological and land-cover changes. Later, a gradual warming started after 7000 cal yr BP and representation of macrophytes, periphytic diatoms and littoral chironomids increased. Our results suggest that the Holocene thermal maximum was taking place unusually early in the Holocene at our study site, but its timing might be affected by topography and mesoclimate. We further demonstrated that temperature changes had coincided with variations in local hydrology

A model for use by local public health departments to evaluate pandemic influenza plans

The events of the 1990's and early 2000's demonstrated the need for effective planning and response to natural and man-made disasters. One of those potential natural disasters is pandemic flu. Once defined, the CDC stated that program, or plan, effectiveness is improved through the process of program evaluation. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1999) Program evaluation should be accomplished not only periodically, but in the course of routine administration of the program. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1999) Accomplishing this task for a "rare, but significant event" is challenging. (Herbold, John R., PhD., 2008) To address this challenge, the RAND Corporation (under contract to the CDC) developed the "Facilitated Look-Backs" approach that was tested and validated at the state level. (Aledort et al., 2006).^ Nevertheless, no comprehensive and generally applicable pandemic influenza program evaluation tool or model is readily found for use at the local public health department level. This project developed such a model based on the "Facilitated Look-Backs" approach developed by RAND Corporation. (Aledort et al., 2006) Modifications to the RAND model included stakeholder additions, inclusion of all six CDC program evaluation steps, and suggestions for incorporating pandemic flu response plans in seasonal flu management implementation. Feedback on the model was then obtained from three LPHD's—one rural, one suburban, and one urban. These recommendations were incorporated into the final model. Feedback from the sites also supported the assumption that this model promotes the effective and efficient evaluation of both pandemic flu and seasonal flu response by reducing redundant evaluations of pandemic flu plans, seasonal flu plans, and funding requirement accountability. Site feedback also demonstrated that the model is comprehensive and flexible, so it can be adapted and applied to different LPHD needs and settings. It also stimulates evaluation of the major issues associated with pandemic flu planning. ^ The next phase in evaluating this model should be to apply it in a program evaluation of one or more LPHD's seasonal flu response that incorporates pandemic flu response plans.^

Local public works administration in Michigan,

"A report to the Commission of inquiry, Lent D. Upson, director of inquiry, February, 1934."

Statistics of local public school systems; staff.

Mode of access: Internet.

Supplement to the Code of Virginia : being a compilation of all acts of a general and permanent nature passed by the General Assembly since March 15, 1887 : to which are added references to decisions construing or affecting the Code of 1887, and subsequent legislation : including also references to all local public acts, passed during the same period, affecting particular counties, cities or towns of the Commonwealth /

Includes index.