Yesterday’s Gains Versus Today’s Realties

The past decade has been one of the more turbulent in terms of the economic pressures felt by localities. Through three national-level surveys taken at five-year intervals over the previous decade, the authors examine changes in the use of economic development strategies employed by localities with populations more than 10 000. Despite reporting having moved away from a reliance on business incentives to a broader set of strategies, we find that after the recent recession, localities are relying on business incentives at their highest levels in 10 years. Moreover, the most recent survey results suggest that there are observable patterns among localities and their use of first-, second-, and third-wave strategies.