Showing papers in "Local Economy in 1990"
TL;DR: Local economic policies have a considerable history as discussed by the authors, and they drew on the considerable local autonomy of local government and business networks to create a wide range of promotion and development policies, despite the slender legal bases for their actions.
Abstract: Local economic policies have a considerable history. Such initiatives were conceived as essentially pragmatic regenerative responses to structural economic changes that were becoming apparent from the end of the nineteenth century. They drew on the considerable local autonomy of local government and business networks to create a wide range of promotion and development policies, despite the slender legal bases for their actions. Central reactions were often discouraging, though in the 1930s dislike of such local initiatives was outweighed by an even greater central dislike of the alternatives, which allowed a flowering of local initiatives. These central attitudes shifted decisively in the 1940s with the emergence of central distribution of industry policies, which consigned local policies to a distinctly secondary role until the later 1970s. Reclaiming this forgotten tradition of local economic policy enlarges the experience available to today's practitioners and analysts of local economic policy. It also permits the development of a sounder conceptual basis for action than was available to practitioners in the pre-1939 period.
49 citations
TL;DR: Campbell et al. as mentioned in this paper present five short pieces which they hope will influence the agenda for such work, focusing on labour market information, argues that TECs need the services of the Employment Service, and provides a critical view of the relation between one such Council and its local TEC.
Abstract: new Training and Enterprise Councils. Whilst Local Economy will be returning regularly to an examination of various aspects of the TECs' agenda, we gather together here five short pieces which we hope will influence the agenda for such work. The first piece provides some information on TECs and their mission. The second outlines the Centre for Local Economic Strategies' TEC monitoring project. The third, focusing on labour market information, argues that TECs need the services of the Employment Service. The fourth piece reports the Association of District Councils' survey of their involvement in TECs, whilst the final piece provides a critical view of the relation between one such Council and its local TEC. In the next issue of Local Economy New Initiatives will return to its more usual format of reporting new initiatives through the voices of those most clearly involved. This can only be successful if you, the reader, write to us telling us about any interesting new development in policy and practice that you have heard about. Write to me, Mike Campbell, at the address inside the front cover. We look forward to hearing from you.
12 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, urban economic development strategies in the USA are discussed. But the focus is on urban areas, and not on the whole country, as is the case in this paper.
Abstract: (1990). Urban economic development strategies in the USA. Local Economy: Vol. 4, Local Economic Development in the US, pp. 278-289.
10 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that despite the wide range of local economic development policies pursued in the 1980s, no local authority has yet developed a comprehensive local labour market strategy (LLMS).
Abstract: Introduction Despite the wide range of local economic development policies pursued in the 1980s it is arguable that no local authority has yet developed a comprehensive local labour market strategy (LLMS). Nor, despite the growing range of initiatives directed at the inner cities, has central government a clear LLMS. Moreover, whilst it is too early to judge, the terms of reference of the new locally based Training and Enterprise Councils suggest clear constraints on their ability to do so. Yet there are overwhelming arguments for LLMS. This section of the paper sets out the case for developing and pursuing such a course of action, firstly in terms of conceptual arguments and secondly in terms of recent changes in the labour market. Later sections of the paper examine the need for improved local labour market information (LLMI), the nature of local labour market problems, especially the so called \"skills shortage\" problem, and the strategy and policies that may be required to assist in overcoming them.
7 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, military spending and local economic dependency: The need for new alternative plans is discussed and the authors propose a new alternative plan for reducing military spending in the local economy.
Abstract: (1990). Military spending and local economic dependency: The need for new alternative plans. Local Economy: Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 147-153.
6 citations
TL;DR: Private Industry Councils (PICs) are the vehicles established by the US Department of Labor to plan the local delivery of Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programmes which provide training and related services to ''economically disadvantaged\" young people and adults.
Abstract: Private Industry Councils (PICs) are the vehicles established by the US Department of Labor to plan the local delivery of Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programmes which provide training and related services to \"economically disadvantaged\" young people and adults. PICs are locally appointed, employerled bodies, with over 600 spread throughout the USA. PICs deserve British attention because their experience is being drawn upon in the design of Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) in England and Wales and Local Enterprise Companies (LECs) in Scotland.
6 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that the possibility of choice in relation to how technology is selected and deployed, and how production is organized, has largely been ignored, and that such choices are of major significance: in addition to their role as determinants of working conditions and the quality of working life, they have far-reaching effects on a firm's ability to compete in the markets of the 1990s.
Abstract: The organisation of work has never been a significant area of concern in the development and implementation of national industrial policy, nor has it been a prominent theme within the rise of interventionist local authority strategies during the 1980s. For governments in Britain, modernisation has meant an uncritical view of automation in which deskilling and redundancy are a natural consequence of the need for competitiveness. Likewise for local authority economic strategies, investment and workforce skills have been seen as discrete issues within the overall problem of improving the competitiveness of firms and sectors. At both levels the possibility of choice in relation to how technology is selected and deployed, and how production is organised, has largely been ignored. This paper argues that such choices are of major significance: in addition to their role as determinants of working conditions and the quality of working life, they have far-reaching effects on a firm's ability to compete in the markets of the 1990s. The articulation and analysis of potential choices should therefore be central to the agenda for local and national economic policy, and new forms of intervention in the design of labour processes should be actively explored.
5 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the future of European motor industry regions: New local authority responses to industrial restructuring is discussed. But the focus is not on the automotive industry, but on the local authority response.
Abstract: (1990). The future of European motor industry regions: New local authority responses to industrial restructuring. Local Economy: Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 129-146.
5 citations
TL;DR: Employment Training (ET) as mentioned in this paper was the first attempt to provide training that is closely tied to the demands of the labour market, which was proposed by Haughton and Peck in 1988.
Abstract: With the launch of Employment Training (ET) in 1988 there has been increasing interest in providing training that is closely tied to the demands of the labour market. The establishment of ET came about because of a concern that unemployment was still very high at a time when large numbers of jobs were being created. Part of the explanation for this apparent paradox was that the unemployed lacked the motivation and skills to get jobs. The solution, as proposed by ET, was to provide counseling and training (Department of Employment, 1988). Insofar as this recognised that factors other than a lack of skills stopped the unemployed getting work it was to be welcomed. However there are other things that need to be taken account of if labour markets are to work effectively (Haughton and Peck, 1989). Many of these are outside of the control of the unemployed.
5 citations
TL;DR: In Chicago, during the 1970s and 1980s, the city underwent a massive economic transformation as the nation's premier manufacturing centre was transformed into a centre for the service industry as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Chicago provides a unique test case for an investigation of the opportunities and constraints for progressive economic development in the United States, as well as local economic development generally. During the 1970s and 1980s the city underwent a massive economic transformation as the nation's premier manufacturing centre was transformed into a centre for the service industry. This process was culminating just as the comfortable alliance between the city's growth machine and the entrenched political machine was shattered by major political changes, resulting in the election of a reform government under Mayor Harold Washington. The nature of this reform movement, and its achievements for 1983—7, illuminate what can be accomplished at the local government level, and where the barriers are. This article will start with an overview of the nature of the growth machine in Chicago and the conditions under which it has been operating. Next, a brief history of the reform movement will show the socio-economic roots of the Washington Administration, whose modus operandi will then be discussed in detail. The final section will summarise what this suggests about local economic development generally.
4 citations
TL;DR: A survey conducted by the authors during 1989 was able to check on the post-Garden Festival employment experiences, and on the effect of having been part of the programme, for 120 of those employed on the scheme as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: During times of high and persistent unemployment within localities, arguments are often advanced in favour of locally based temporary employment schemes implicitly or explicitly attempting to rehabilitate, reintroduce or retrain the unemployed into the labour force. This article reports some results obtained from such a temporary employment scheme. As part of the National Garden Festival that took place at Stoke-on-Trent during the Spring and Summer of 1986, some 1,020 individuals were employed on a temporary employment Community Programme-funded scheme (possibly the largest such scheme to take place under the Community Programme). These temporary posts were offered to the contemporarily registered unemployed, and directed towards the long-term unemployed in the local area. A survey conducted by the authors during 1989 was able to check on the post-Garden Festival employment experiences, and on the effect of having been part of the programme, for 120 of those employed on the scheme. This short paper reports on some of the results of that survey. One of the objectives of the research undertaken is to test the hypothesis that the individuals taking up offers of places on the scheme improved their chances of gaining a permanent niche in an acceptable and productive employment career. If such could be found to be the case, then it would constitute an important justification for the establishment of projects such as the Garden Festival. Such findings would also support continued expenditure on other temporary local employment schemes and on training and placement schemes offering work experience.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe the sources and methodology used to develop a framework designed to deliver good quality information relating to the Birmingham local labour market, which was undertaken during 1989 by the Institute for Employment Research at the University of Warwick for the Economic Development Unit of Birmingham City Council.
Abstract: Rational policy-making for local labour markets is dependent upon the availability of good quality labour market information. This article briefly describes the sources and methodology used to develop a framework designed to deliver good quality information relating to the Birmingham local labour market. The development of the information framework was undertaken during 1989 by the Institute for Employment Research at the University of Warwick for the Economic Development Unit of Birmingham City Council. The Council had earlier expressed a need for an effective labour market information system to assist in its planning of work-related non-advanced further education and its contribution to meeting the training needs of the city. The information framework described here relates specifically to Birmingham, but the methodology and results may be of wider interest. The demand for good quality labour market information at the local level has grown substantially over the past decade as local authorities and other agencies become more involved in local economic development and training provision. The Training and Enterprise Councils, whose emergence represents a marked shift towards local training provision, will place a premium upon local labour market intelligence. Thus, the issues raised in this article are likely to be of common interest to all who are concerned with monitoring and evaluating their local labour markets.
TL;DR: In this article, local economic development in the USA is discussed. But the focus is on the local economy and not on the state of the economy as a whole, and the authors do not consider the state-of-the-art.
Abstract: (1990). Local economic development in the USA. Local Economy: Vol. 4, Local Economic Development in the US, pp. 272-277.
TL;DR: The authors discusses some of the factors which help to identify both the possible effects of 1992 and appropriate responses from local authorities and assesses what one might expect the response of business to be to the challenges posed by 1992, and in particular the enabling factors which industry is likely to have to embrace in order to respond effectively.
Abstract: The completion of the internal market in 1992 and the possible effects on the British economy has become a major issue in recent times, particularly as the debate on whether Britain should join the European Monetary System has intensified. The increased interest in 1992 and its possible consequences has stimulated a need to assess how the effects of increased integration with Europe will affect individual areas in the United Kingdom and what the local authorities' response might be. This paper discusses some of the factors which help to identify both the possible effects of 1992 and appropriate responses from local authorities. It begins with a general overview as to what is meant by 1992 and the general economic impact it might be expected to have on the British economy. Secondly, it assesses what one might expect the response of business to be to the challenges posed by 1992, and in particular the enabling factors which industry is likely to have to embrace in order to respond effectively. Thirdly, it focuses as a case study on what the changes emerging from 1992 are likely to mean for specific sectors in the South Yorkshire economy and what role there may be for policy assistance from local and central government.
TL;DR: Shlay and Giloth as discussed by the authors describe a downtown-centred revitalization strategy that emerged over 30 years of corporate planning and an executive-centered growth coalition led aggressively by former Mayor William Donald Shaefer.
Abstract: Economic developers of the 1980s in search of what works frequently visited Baltimore to witness its downtown renaissance and famed public—private partnerships. A remarkable turnabout could be observed — from the Charles Center office and retail complex, to a new convention centre, aquarium, and the centrepiece — Harborplace — a James Rouse \"festival marketplace\" that had transformed a down-in-themouth jumble of warehouses and piers into a food mecca for office workers and tourists. Baltimore's downtown-centred revitalisation strategy emerged over 30 years of corporate planning and an executive-centred growth coalition led aggressively by former Mayor William Donald Shaefer. Strategies became realities through a host of quasi-public corporations and the Baltimore City Trustees Loan and Guarantee Programme that provided expeditious, businesslike planning and a financing mechanism that enabled creative and secretive deal making (Levine, 1987). A successful growth coalition, however, is more than bricks and mortar. It also represents civic consensus about what types of development should be publicly supported (Shlay and Giloth, 1987). Baltimore had such a consensus. No alternative development plans captured the public imagination; nor was there anything but sporadic opposition to major Baltimore development projects; and many community activists agreed that Baltimore's declining downtown and industrial economy required decisive intervention. Despite these local growth successes, an uncertainty about Baltimore's future had set in by the mid-1980s. There were many reasons for this:
TL;DR: In this article, a survey of the current state of policy and practice amongst two categories of local economic development institution, Urban Development Corporations (UDCs) and Enterprise Boards, is presented.
Abstract: This article aims to fulfil three functions. First, it provides a brief survey of the current state of policy and practice amongst two categories of local economic development institution, Urban Development Corporations (UDCs) and Enterprise Boards. This includes forming some impressions of the impact on Enterprise Boards of the abolition of the GLC and the Metropolitan Councils, and of the provisions of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (Part V). And it includes some assessment of the responses of Urban Development Corporations to the largely critical assessments of them made by the National Audit Office (1988) on Liverpool and LDDC, and the House of Commons Employment Committee (1988) on employment effects. The recent expansion of numbers of UDCs (five “second‐generation” ones set up in 1987, and four “third‐generation” ones established during 1988 and 1989) also allows wider analysis of the form to be carried out. The second aim of the article is to explore the extent and causes of diversity bo...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the barriers that people face in obtaining improved qualifications, training, and access to jobs, and examine the skills of the unemployed in a changing policy environment.
Abstract: disadvantaged communities; and the skills of the unemployed. A key aspect of the studies is to examine the barriers that people face in obtaining improved qualifications, training and access to jobs. We in the Policy Research Unit are undertaking a number of these studies which will provide the necessary labour market information for appropriate planning of the TECs development. All private and public sector organisations need to gear up for the challenges facing them in the 1990s. They do so in an uncertain and changing policy environment; with possible labour shortages occasioned in part by under investment in education and training, in part by demographic trends and in part by recruitment practices. TECs will have a key role to play, alongside Councils, employers and people in the community in shaping the towns and cities of the future. The challenges are enormous. Whether TECs will be up to the enormity of the challenge in terms of funding, organisation, technical expertise, strategy and practice will remain a central issue in local development policy throughout the 1990s.
TL;DR: The City of Saint Paul, Minnesota, in the Upper Midwest region of the United States along the Mississippi River, provides an excellent example of the excesses of the growth coalition as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The City of Saint Paul, Minnesota, in the Upper Midwest region of the United States along the Mississippi River, provides an excellent example of the excesses of the growth coalition. It is also a good example of the creation of an alternative growth coalition of neighbourhood‐based organisations seeking to ensure that growth benefits those in most economic need. Like most American cities in the Eastern and Midwestern parts of the United States that grew up as manufacturing centres, Saint Paul experienced some decline in recent decades as its suburban areas grew. Changes in the economy of the country from manufacturing to service sectors and the common inability of central cities to compete with retail shopping centres in the suburban areas left Saint Paul with some areas of vacant land and distressed buildings.
TL;DR: The tobacco industry has lobbied hard to present itself as an integral part of the economy, providing employment in manufacturing and retailing, earning valuable export revenue, supporting a range of cultural and sporting activities and contributing to the Exchequer an amount in tax equivalent to one third of the cost of the NHS as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The tobacco industry has lobbied hard to present itself as an integral part of the economy, providing employment in manufacturing and retailing, earning valuable export revenue, supporting a range of cultural and sporting activities and contributing to the Exchequer an amount in tax equivalent to one third of the cost of the NHS. At a local level the industry has argued that a reduction in tobacco sales leads to a substantial loss of jobs in the retail sector. Much of the evidence for this is anecdotal and a direct, causal link has not been proven. Early in 1989, San dwell Health Authority decided to examine some of the local dimensions of the tobacco economy. There were two main questions of interest: