Human Ecology, Pro-Growth Effort, and Community Development: The Case of Enterprise Zones (Tax Incentives, Economic Development)

Author: Frank D. Beck

Dissertation School: Pennsylvania State University

Pages: 130

Publication Date: August 1998

Availability:
Available from the HUD USER Helpdesk P.O. Box 23268 Washington, DC 20026-3268 Toll Free: 1-800-245-2691 Fax: 1-202-708-9981 Email: oup@oup.org

Access Number: 10701

Descriptors:
State government. Local government. Inner-cities. Enterprise zones. Poverty. Housing.

Abstract:
This doctoral dissertation uses a national sample of enterprise zones to test for zone effectiveness in promoting growth as well as reducing poverty and unemployment and improving housing conditions. The findings indicate that enterprise zones have been successful at promoting growth--the majority grew at rates faster than the county they are located in. This growth, however, appears to have come at the expense of local residents. The population of these areas declined during the 1980s while unemployment and poverty became more concentrated. The results lend support to the arguments made by New Urban Sociologists that places are able to shape economic growth in the manner they wish. Such success may be economic development; the problem is that such efforts are not a means for community development where the concern is more for the well-being of the place and all its residents. [AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED]

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