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Book Cover
E-book
Author Bliss, Daniel, author

Title Economic development and governance in small town America : paths to growth / Daniel Bliss
Edition First edition
Published London : Taylor and Francis, 2018
©2018

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Description 1 online resource (viii, 224 pages)
Contents A theory of institutional capacity and governance for economic development -- The economic context of municipalities -- Institutional frameworks: intergovernmental support and bureaucratic organization -- Ely: infrastructure delivered, governance contested -- Hibbing, Minnesota: the evolution of activist development -- Sterling and Rock Falls, Illinois: reform and recovery? -- Comparing governance of economic development -- Conclusion
Summary "Who governs? And why? How do they govern? These remain vital questions in the politics of our small cities and towns. In this new book, author Daniel Bliss takes issue with those who believe that small towns and cities are fatally vulnerable to the pressures of a global economy. Based on in-depth analyses of small town America, this book demonstrates how political agency can address and solve real problems affecting US towns, including capital flight, industrial closures, and job losses. Bliss illustrates how small localities exercise choices - such as nurturing local businesses and developing infrastructure rather than engaging in a "race to the bottom," heavily mortgaging tax revenues to attract large box retailers and small box call centers while passively watching more productive firms and better-paying jobs slip away. Taking careful account of comparative literature as well as variations in city governments, their planning agencies, and their relations with state authorities, this book explores the ways in which local politicians and public planning bodies can mobilize local constituencies to weather global challenges and common structural problems such as unfavorable demographics, skill shortages and out-migration. Economic Development and Governance in Small Town America holds out the promise of meaningful democratic change even in unfavorable political and economic circumstances."--Provided by publisher
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Print version record
Subject Cities and towns -- United States
Cities and towns -- Growth.
Economic development -- Government policy -- United States
urban sprawl.
suburban growth.
Cities and towns
Cities and towns -- Growth
Economic development -- Government policy
United States
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9781351188036
1351188038