Dilemmas of Urban Economic Development : Issues in Theory and Practice

Assessing state-of-the-art urban economic development, this book addresses such pertinent issues as the importance of `quality of life′ in location decisions, and whether industry targetting is a viable economic development strategy. Each chapter is followed by commentaries - one written by an academic addressing research methodology, the other by a practitioner addressing both the question and the evidence. Each chapter′s author then responds to the issues raised by the commentators. The result is a productive dialogue between academics, practitioners and citizens concerned with economic development.

Is local economic development a "zero-sum game"? How do we know that "but for the incentives" the development would not have occurred? How important is "quality of life" in location decisions and local economic development? Is industry targeting a viable economic development strategy? This book tackles these and many other significant questionsùfrom more than one perspective. Dilemmas of Urban Economic Development assesses the "state of the art" of the field of urban economic development. Each chapter addresses a particularly pertinent issue in economic development. Following each chapter are commentariesùone written by an academic addressing research methodology and the other by a practitioner addressing both the question and the evidence. The chapters are concluded with the author of each chapter responding directly to the issues raised by the commentators. The result is a productive dialogue between academics, practitioners, and citizens concerned with economic development.