Competition for Amazon's HQ2.0 shows how keen local governments are to offer incentives to attract firms.

The online mega-retailer, Amazon.com, has recently been shopping around to find a suitable host for its second headquarters. In response, city and local governments across the US have been falling over themselves to offer economic inducements for the company to choose them. But what determines which governments try to attract firms in this way? In new research Eric Stokan looks ..

Supplemental Material, Supplement_Table_1 - Accounting for State Authorization in Local Economic Development Policy Usage

<p>Supplemental Material, Supplement_Table_1 for Accounting for State Authorization in Local Economic Development Policy Usage by Eric J. Stokan in State and Local Government Review</p

Supplemental Material, Supplement_Table_2 - Accounting for State Authorization in Local Economic Development Policy Usage

<p>Supplemental Material, Supplement_Table_2 for Accounting for State Authorization in Local Economic Development Policy Usage by Eric J. Stokan in State and Local Government Review</p

Exploring the Trade-Offs Local Governments Make in the Pursuit of Economic Growth and Equity

Economic development at the municipal level often necessitates that local governments make trade-offs between firm- and locality-based strategies. In recent decades, economic development researchers have described these efforts over time as exhibiting certain patterns and metaphors: as a series of waves, as embodying a type of lock-in effect, and as a policy layering process; however, the mechanisms behind these patterns remain unclear. This article draws upon 30 years of economic development policy decision making across the United States to understand what leads local governments to prioritize growth- or equity-oriented policies. We find that equity-enhancing economic development policies are more likely when local governments face less competitive pressure, have greater resource capacities, and experience greater intergovernmental involvement in the economic development planning process. Leveraging these factors can aid governments as they struggle to navigate a more sustainable path toward growth and equity

Structural drivers of sustainability and resilience strategies in small(ish) cities: a text analysis of comprehensive planning in Indiana

For decades, the world’s largest and most globally significant cities have been pledging to tackle climate change, resilience, sustainable development and social injustices through a proliferating ecology of plans. Far less is understood about what is happening in smaller communities. This study employs an institutional lens and automated text analysis to examine the resilience and sustainability “shared strategies” embedded in local land-use plans, which are used in many countries to guide the spatial distribution of development in metropolitan regions. We find evidence that communities that are more highly educated and less racially diverse focus more on “quality of life” amenities within their plans, such as pedestrian resources and environmental amenities. By contrast, communities that are more racially diverse focus greater attention on green stormwater infrastructure to address flooding. Plan “quality” is negatively associated with an amenities’ focus. Taken together, these findings suggest comprehensive land-use planning is both a means for reflecting exclusivity as well as pursuing community needs or goals related to specific resilience or sustainability themes.</p

Gambling Prevalence in Maryland: A Baseline Analysis

Corrected final versionThe purpose of the telephone survey was to obtain baseline information on the extent of problem gambling in Maryland prior to the expansion of gambling in the State through the introduction of slot machine gambling in 2010. The results will inform the State’s actions in developing prevention and treatment services for problem gamblers and their families in Maryland.YesDepartment of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH

How Can Local Governments Address Pandemic Inequities?

COVID‐19 is exposing a nexus between communities disproportionately suffering from underlying health conditions, policy‐reinforced disparities, and susceptibility to the disease. As the virus spreads, policy responses will need to shift from focusing on surveillance and mitigation to recovery and prevention. Local governments, with their histories of mutual aid and familiarity with local communities, are capable of meeting these challenges. However, funding must flow in a flexible enough fashion for local governments to tailor their efforts to preserve vital services and rebuild local economies. We argue in this article that the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) programs are mechanisms for how to provide funds in a manner adaptable to local context while also focusing on increasing social equity. Administrators must emphasize the fourth pillar of public administration ‐‐ social equity ‐‐ in framing government responses to the pandemic