Policy makers--Republican and Democrat, liberal and conservative--call for federal intervention to fund emerging high-growth industries, believing they are starved for capital. Congressional hearings, newspapers, industry newsletters, and government reports all assert that capital gaps exist for these firms. But the widely held belief that emerging high-growth firms like those in high technology--so vital to the growth of the U.S. economy--face severe capital gaps, preventing them from starting up or growing to their full potential, is false. This book systematically brings together, for the first time, disparate sources of information from a wide variety of disciplines and synthesizes them into a compelling case against federal intervention. Scientific studies, conventional wisdom among entrepreneurs and investors, and economic reasoning all fail to support the existence of widespread capital gaps for start-up high-growth firms. Nor does this evidence show capital in short supply in some regions, in industrial sectors including high technology, or for women and minorities. Nor do existing federal programs providing capital to emerging high-growth businesses reveal capital gaps. Rather, they either unnecessarily duplicate private investment or represent poor investment decisions. This study shows that calls for increased federal intervention, using public monies to plug capital gaps, are unjustified.

Growing local economies, empowering communities, revitalizing downtowns, developing entrepreneurship, building leadership, and enhancing nonprofits — you can achieve all these benefits and more with a comprehensive and strategic revitalization plan. Chronicling the struggle of local revitalization as organizers move from trial and error to effective revitalization strategies, Promoting Sustainable Local and Community Economic Development documents the current transformation in community revitalization from market-based incentives to mixed strategies of public sector learning, partnerships, and community capacity. Knowledge about the field and what works is growing, but not always publicized and readily accessible. This reference surveys the breadth of innovative place and people development practices, presenting lessons and examples at a general and textured level, putting information about innovative ways to change, influence, and improve the economic development process within easy reach. Roland Anglin brings his unique vantage point to the topic; his experience as a practitioner and applied academic allowed him to see how community economic development practices grow over time in size, scale, and impact. He highlights the difference between what is now termed community economic development (CED) and traditional local economic development practice, specifically the priority placed on community involvement in economic development partnerships between the private sector and government. The book includes case studies that demonstrate what has and has not worked in revitalization efforts, as well as how active public and private sector partnerships have been the most effective in revitalization efforts. A Resource Guide is included at the end of the book for readers who may want a more expansive understanding of community economic development.

Papers presented in a Seminar on "Role of Public Policy in Development Process", held at the Sardar Patel Institute of Economic and Social Research (SPIESR), Ahmedabad, during January 4-5, 2016.

This book includes empirical contributions focusing on disadvantaged workers. According to the European Commission’s definition, disadvantaged workers include categories of workers with difficulties entering the labour market without assistance and hence, requiring the application of public measures aimed at improving their employment opportunities. In addition to the labour market perspective, this is also relevant in terms of social cohesion, which is one of the central objectives of the European Union and of its Member States. This work deals with the most relevant groups of disadvantaged workers, namely disabled workers, young workers, women living in depressed areas, migrants in the labour market and the long-term unemployed, and analyses the situation in the Italian, Spanish and some African labour markets. The determinants of disadvantage in the labour market are investigated, highlighting both the role of supply variables, including structural factors and the weakness on the demand side, the role of the economic crisis and the ineffectiveness of some labour policies. A complex framework emerges in which disadvantaged groups may share common problems, both in terms of integration into the labour market and in terms of working conditions, but often require group-specific policies, taking into account their intergroup heterogeneity.