Exploring the Politics of State Economic Development Policy

Four major studies of economic development policies adopted by a number of state and local governments have been published recently. Because the books are all lengthy treatments of a problem that has come to preoccupy many public officials, a review of their contents can establish the current state of the art in this important area. The studies all report that an enormous amount of attention has been paid to economic development in the states, leading to a great variety of programs and approaches. The sources of these policies are explored here, as are their results, the most important of which appear to have less to do with economic development than with institutional change. Emergence of the states as leaders in economic development policy suggests the continuing vitality of American federalism, which disburses power and thus encourages broad participation in policymaking.