CRP 385C
Urban Economic Development Policy

Instructor: Michael Oden
Time and Place: Tues., Thurs. 9:30-11:00 A.M. ROOM NO. Sutton 2.110
Office: Sutton 3.120

CONTENT:

This course provides a survey of major theories of urban economic development and current initiatives by federal, state and local governments to improve regional and local economic performance. Economic development initiatives promoted by the public sector or public/private partnerships typically attempt to influence private sector location and investment and/or generate new demand for locally produced products or services. The goals of economic development planning include stimulating local employment and income, expanding the local tax base, and in some cases, improving economic opportunities for low-income households.

The first part of the course will briefly review theories concerning the causes of growth and decline of cities and regions. The second part of the course will outline practical techniques for evaluating the structure, performance and potential of regional and local economies. In the third segment, students will investigate various public intervention strategies, with special emphasis on strategic economic development planning processes and techniques. Finally, the class will analyze and evaluate a variety of "state of the art" development and growth management programs being implemented by state and local governments across the U.S.

Sample of Readings:

Richard Bingham and Robert Mier (eds.), Dilemmas of Urban Economic Development, Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage Publications, 1997.

John Blair and Laura Reese (eds.), Approaches to Economic Development, Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage Publications, 1999.

Center for Public Policy Priorities, For the Common Good; Evaluating Economic Development Initiatives in Texas, Austin: Center for Public Policy Priorities, March, 2000.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Innovative Local Economic Development Programs, Washington D.C: USDC, Economic Development Administration, 1999. Available at: http://www.doc.gov/eda/html/reports_pubs.htm

U.S. Department of Commerce Science and Technology Strategic Planning Washington D.C: USDC,Economic Development Administration,1998, http://www.doc.gov/eda/html/reports_pubs.htm

Krugman, Paul, Geography and Trade, Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1991.

Bendavid-Val, Avrom, Regional and Local Economic Analysis for Practitioners, New York: Praeger, 1991.

Persky, J. et al., "Import Substitution and Local Economic Development,"Economic Development Quarterly, Vol. 7, No. 1, November 1990

Malecki, Edward, Technology and Economic Development: The Dynamics of Local Regional and National Competitiveness (second edition), Essex UK: Addison,Wesely and Longman, 1997.

Redman, John, Understanding State Economies Through Industry Studies Washington D.C: Council of Governors' Policy Advisors, 1994, pp. 3-58.{R}

Oden, Michael, "From Assembly to Innovation: The Evolution and Current Structure of Austin's High Tech Economy," Planning Forum, Vol. 3., 1997, pp.14-30.{R}

Markusen, Ann, "Studying Regions by Studying Firms, " in Ann Markusen et al., (eds.) Second Tier Cities, Rapid Growth beyond the Metropolis, University of Minnesota Press, 1999.

Wasylenko, Michael, " Taxation and Economic Development: The State of the Economic Literature," in New England Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, March/April 1997, pp. 37-52. {R}

Paetsch, J. and R. Dahlstrom, "Tax Increment Financing," in Bingham, R., E.W. Hill, and S..B. White (eds.), F Financing Economic Development, Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1990.

Marino, Pamela, " State Private Activity Bond Volume Caps, Government Finance Review, December, 1997.

Hart, Mark and Ronnie Scott, " Measuring the Effectiveness of Small Firm Policy: Some Lessons from Northern Ireland," Regional Studies, Vol. 28, No.8, December 1994.

Bates, Timothy "Theories of Entrepreneurship," in R.Bingham et al. (eds.), Theories of Local Economic Development, Newbury Park CA.: Sage, 1993.

Plastric, Peter, "The Michigan Strategic Fund," in Mechanisms for Job Creation: Lessons from the United States, Paris, OECD, 1990.

Rice, Mark and Jane Matthews, Growing New Ventures, Creating New Jobs; Principles and Practice of Business Incubators, National Association of Business Incubators, 1998.

Dresser, Laura and Joel Rogers, "Networks, Sectors and Workforce Learning" in Jobs and Economic Development, R. Giloth (ed.), Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998.

Lugar, Michael and Harvey Goldstein, " What is the Role of Public Universities in Regional Economic Development ?" in Bingham et al. (eds.) Dilemmas of Urban Economic Development, pp. 104-139.

Mitchell Moss and Anthony Townsend, "How Telecommunications is Transforming Urban Space," (Available at http://www.informationcity.org/research/index.htm)

Campbell, Scott, "Green Cities, Growing Cities, Just Cities: Urban Planning and the Contradictions of Sustainable Development, " Journal of the American Planning Association, Summer 1996, pp. 296-313. {R}