Economic development theories have influenced practices, especially government’s strategies to enhance development. Generally speaking, government, and in particular states and localities, use three strategies to stimulate economic development:
Industrial recruitment is primarily a locational approach by which governments subsidize businesses to lure more investment into their jurisdictions or to prevent indigenous firms from leaving. Despite the political controversies about – and the legal challenges to – the use of government incentives, industrial recruitment still plays a significant role in local economic development. Chapter 9 will elaborate upon recruitment practices and their implications in the United States.
Entrepreneurial strategies for economic development refers to the approach that governments use when adopting policies that promise to increase public revenue by focusing primarily on the creation of new firms and technology development. In recent years, entrepreneurial strategy has frequently emphasized engaging local governments, private business and development firms, and local nonprofit organizations to create new opportunities for investment in declining or stagnant communities. The discussion of entrepreneurial strategy will be included in Chapter 10. Thus, the neoclassical concept of innovation is harnessed in the context of location theory in this strategy.
Privatization is the delegation of public duties to the private sector. It is deeply rooted in the market-oriented