The economic impact of Special Economic Zones: Evidence from Chinese municipalities

This paper empirically assesses the incidence and efficiency of Round I of the federal urban Empowerment Zone (EZ) program using confidential microdata from the Decennial Census and the Longitudinal Business Database. Using rejected and future applicants to the EZ program as controls, we find that EZ designation substantially increased employment in zone neighborhoods and generated wage increases for local workers without corresponding increases in population or the local cost of living. The results suggest the efficiency costs of first Round EZs were relatively small.

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Assessing the Incidence and Efficiency of a Prominent Place Based Policy

Neo-liberal urban planning policies: A literature survey 1990–2010

A review of mitigating strategies to improve the thermal environment and thermal comfort in urban outdoor spaces

This paper empirically assesses the incidence and efficiency of Round I of the federal urban Empowerment Zone (EZ) program using confidential microdata from the Decennial Census and the Longitudinal Business Database. Using rejected and future applicants to the EZ program as controls, we find that EZ designation substantially increased employment in zone neighborhoods and generated wage increases for local workers without corresponding increases in population or the local cost of living. The results suggest the efficiency costs of first Round EZs were relatively modest. (JEL H26, H77, J31, R23, R58)

/pdf/assessing-the-incidence-and-efficiency-of-a-prominent-place-ace303i5en.pdf

Amidst the continuing controversy over American economic development incentives, this article looks at three key effectiveness issues: Do economic development incentives encourage new investment and employment? Are these incentives targeted at economically depressed areas or economically depressed people? How costly are these incentives? For all these questions, our findings come out against traditional economic development incentives. We suggest that there is a need for a radical transformation of economic development policy in the U.S.

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The Failures of Economic Development Incentives

Evaluating the cooling effects of green infrastructure: A systematic review of methods, indicators and data sources

There is no consensus on a comprehensive classification for green infrastructure (GI). This is a consequence of the diversity of disciplines, application contexts, methods, terminologies, purposes and valuation criteria for which a GI typology is required. The aim of this systematic literature review is to evaluate the existing evidence on how GI is being categorised and characterised worldwide. We reviewed a total of 85 studies from 15 countries that were analysed for contextual trends, methods, parameters and typologies. Results show that relevant literature lacks a common terminology and that a universal typology for all scenarios is impractical. Analysis reveals that GI can be organised into four main GI categories: (a) tree canopy, (b) green open spaces, (c) green roofs and (d) vertical greenery systems (facades/walls). Green open spaces and tree canopy attracted the attention of researchers due to their complexity, variability and important roles in GI planning. Evidence suggests that a ternary approach in terms of the functional (purpose, use, services), structural (morphology) and configurational (spatial arrangements) attributes of GI should be applied for a more comprehensive classification. Although this approximation is inherently generic, since it can be used across different research disciplines, it is also sufficiently specific to be implemented for individual scopes, scenarios and settings. Further research is needed to develop a typology capable of responding to particular research aims and performance analyses based upon the findings discussed in this paper.

Towards a comprehensive green infrastructure typology: a systematic review of approaches, methods and typologies

Peters and Fisher evaluate 75 enterprise zones (EZs) located in 13 states to gain an understanding of the overall effectiveness of state enterprise zones. Faced with a paucity of data on EZs that could be used in standard economic analysis, the authors employ a hypothetical firm model in which they apply various EZ and non-EZ incentives to financial statements created for a set of "typical" firms. Observing the impacts of both types of incentives on firms' financial statements allow Peters and Fisher to predict the firms' resulting behavior.

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State Enterprise Zone Programs: Have They Worked?

/pdf/industrial-incentives-competition-among-american-states-and-1wk0ugcrpm.pdf

Alan Peters

Papers

The Failures of Economic Development Incentives

Evaluating the cooling effects of green infrastructure: A systematic review of methods, indicators and data sources

Towards a comprehensive green infrastructure typology: a systematic review of approaches, methods and typologies

State Enterprise Zone Programs: Have They Worked?

Industrial Incentives: Competition Among American States and Cities