Industrial Incentives: Competition among American States and Cities

Abstract

Investigates the actual value of economic development incentives to firms, and the spatial pattern of incentives, in the twenty-four largest manufacturing states in the United States and in a random sample of 112 cities within those states. Uses the hypothetical firm method to measure the value of competitive incentives to typical manufacturing firms. Examines the menu of incentives that states and cities offer and the difference those incentive make to a firm's income. Considers the effects of taxes and incentives on the spatial distribution of investment returns. Examines the implications of the findings for public policy at the local, state, and national level. Fisher is Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, and Peters is Associate Professor in the Graduate Program in Urban and Regional Planning, at the University of Iowa. Author and subject indexes