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Cashing in on culture: local employment effects from art and cultural district designation

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  • Gary A. Wagner

    (University of Louisiana at Lafayette)

  • Javier E. Portillo

    (University of Louisiana at Lafayette)

Abstract

U.S. state-designated cultural districts are modern place-based policies that leverage local arts and culture to foster economic growth. While their use is increasing, with more than 375 extant in eighteen states, large-scale evaluations of their efficacy are scarce or non-existent. This study, which relies on geocoded establishment data, finds a modest but persistent increase in employment for some in-district establishments relative to same-industry establishments located beyond district boundaries. The most effective district-implemented incentives for expanding employment appear to be direct grants to establishments, while sales tax credits also show potential benefits.

Suggested Citation

  • Gary A. Wagner & Javier E. Portillo, 2024. "Cashing in on culture: local employment effects from art and cultural district designation," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 48(4), pages 645-684, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jculte:v:48:y:2024:i:4:d:10.1007_s10824-024-09517-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s10824-024-09517-x
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    Cited by:

    1. Silvia Cerisola & Christiane Hellmanzik, 2024. "Spatial dimensions of cultural economics," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 48(4), pages 497-498, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Cultural districts; Arts; Economic development; Place-based policies;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R3 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location
    • R58 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis - - - Regional Development Planning and Policy

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