Despite strong U.S. and Canadian economies, economic development remains an important local governmental function, partly to alleviate the persistent poverty that plagues some areas and partly to compete with the activities of neighboring local governments. Those cities, metropolitan areas, rural regions, and states that do not plan effectively lose the battle for economic survival. Local economic development has become a complex and challenging field, with increasing numbers of planners specifically trained for the task. Providing a useful guide for planners and students of planning, this...

Examining the role of the public sector in small-business debt-capital formation, this book describes current approaches, conceptually and pragmatically, and evaluates their advantages and disadvantages from a variety of perspectives. It also suggests a model for improving our approach to small business capital formation in the United States.

Financing small business creation and expansion has always been difficult. Private debt capital providers tend to avoid small business because the latter are preceived to be too risky. Yet because of the importance of small businesses to...

Recent years have witnessed a revolution in the way economies work. The world has moved away from centralized governments and economies, toward decentralized governments and market-driven economies. A pragmatic, non-ideological approach to mixed economic systems is becoming the order of the day, blurring the lines between public and private, and referred to here as the economy without walls. The purpose of Hamlin and Lyons' new work is to synthesize an understanding of the economy without walls, distill the implications of this economy for local communities, and apply knowledge of those...

"Investing in Entrepreneurs: A Strategic Approach for Strengthening Your Regional and Community Economy" offers a compelling argument for making the support of entrepreneurship the centerpiece of local and regional economic development--and provides a plan to make it happen. The book is organized around a tool, developed by the authors, that permits a community to strategically map and manage its business assets in a way that can transform its economy.

"Investing in Entrepreneurs" begins with a reflection on the importance of entrepreneurship, a discussion of its diminished place in...