Policy Debates Analysis of US Economic Development Administration Expenditure Patterns over 30 Years

Glasmeier A. and Wood L. (2005) Analysis of US economic development administration expenditure patterns over 30 years, Regional Studies 39 , 1261-1274. Many of the classic regional development programmes have been criticized for being ineffective and failing to meet their intended goals. A fact that is often overlooked in such assessments is that policy programmes are living entities that unfold in history. As a result, their efficacy is contingent. The US Economic Development Administration provides an excellent case study for exploring the challenges facing policies designed to reconcile inequality either between individuals or across locations. The history of the agency presents a cautionary tale of the prospects and pitfalls associated with policy interventions that are pulled in opposing directions: improve conditions for distressed locations but without providing the resources necessary to accomplish the task and legitimize the overall effort by setting the designation criteria so loosely that almost any place qualifies as a distressed county.