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Local Economic Development in the 21st Century: Quality of Life and Sustainability
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Comments/Reviews
Description: This book provides a comprehensive look at local economic development and public policy with special emphasis on quality of life and sustainability. It draws extensively on case studies at state and local levels, and includes both mainstream and alternative perspectives in dealing with economic growth and development issues.
The volume clarifies the contributions of economic theories and empirical research to the policy debates, and the relationship of both to quality of life and sustainability. It considers the impact of state and local tax systems on the level and structure of economic growth and development; and the relationship between economic growth and development and state revenues, expenditures, and regulatory policies. The book also explores the relationship between income inequality, poverty, and economic opportunity; as well as strategies to incorporate quality of life indices and sustainable development issues in the policy debates.
Selected Contents:
Lists of Tables, Figures, and Appendixes
Foreword by Thomas M. Power
Preface
Part 1. Defining Economic Development, Quality of Life, and Sustainability
1. Economic Growth vs. Economic Development
2. Traditional Economic Development: Incentives for Business
3. Quality of Life and the Standard of Living
4. Environmentally Sustainable Development
Part 2. Creating Sustainable Economic Development for States and Localities
5. Human Capital, Opportunity and Economic Development
6. Sprawl, Infrastructure, and Sustainable Development
7. The Effects of Growth on Fiscal Sustainability
8. Indicators and Plans for Sustainable Economic Development
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Authors
Comment(s): "Thoughtful new insights about what is needed to reshape economic development for 21st century priorities and challenges." -- Richard Lamm, University of Denver and former governor of Colorado
"A very readable book for non-economists... it makes a compelling case for the natural compatibility of quality of life factors and sustainable economic development. It illustrates not only why traditional business incentives are not cost-effective but also suggests what to do in place of them. In particular, the authors call for entrepreneurship and education while emphasizing the tight interconnections among economy, environment, and society. In Littleton, Colorado, we have practiced these same principles for over two decades with our Economic Gardening Program and have had considerable success at economic development without significant population growth. This is the future of economic development." -- Chris Gibbons, Director of Business/Industry Affairs, Littleton, Colorado
" Local Economic Development in the 21st Century is a well-written and extremely useful and insightful book on the pros and cons of local economic development. It raises important issues on the relationship between traditional economic growth on the one hand and the quality of life and sustainable development on the other hand. Though the policy implications are about the best way of 'acting locally,' the book has important implications for policy makers and public officials on the national level as well." -- Edward Wolff, New York University
Review(s): "Greenwood and Holt offer a concise, thought-provoking ecological economic perspective on local economic development. Using accessible prose, the authors provide a comprehensive framework that ties together issues of economic growth, quality of life, and sustainability in analyses of local policy initiatives. An impressive array of local issues is tackled, from taxation, land use, transportation, and urban sprawl to public schools, inequality, and poverty. Overall, this volume provides invaluable guidelines to local decision makers and stakeholders for implementing successful sustainability strategies. It will also be of great interest to undergraduate students and concerned citizens alike who are interested in understanding and solving many of this century's local economic development challenges in the US. Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduate through professional collections." -- Choice
"While much of what is discussed in this book has been written elsewhere, bringing economic growth, local development, and the quality of life together under one cover makes an important contribution to the debate on economic development. ...This book is an excellent treatment of the issues facing society in the twenty-first century. It is an important contribution to our knowledge of planning scholarship. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the future of our society, students and civil servants alike." -- Journal of Planning Education and Research
"Will appeal to the general public, students of economics and public policy, policy makers, and economists. ... The book is full of fascinating and important facts concerning economic development." -- Eastern Economic Journal
    
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