Pro-investment local policies in the area of real estate economics – similarities and differences in the strategies used by communes

Abstract

In the article we discuss the importance of the real estate related instruments used by local government to attract investment and stimulate local economic development. The article discusses economic literature related to public economics at the local government level, with the special emphasis put on the link between urban and real estate economics and development. In the empirical part of the paper, we analyze the results of the survey conducted at the local government level in Poland (Malopolska). There are two major research objectives: (1) to identify the scope of the real estate economic instruments used by the communes as part of their development policies’ strategies; (2) to examine the coexistence of certain types of instruments as part of the commune development strategies. To find relevant answers, both multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis are applied. Additionally, we discuss whether there are evidence of mimicking behavior in local development policies.