Economic Development Officials Research Articles

Practitioners' ability to retool the economy: The role of agency in local economic resilience to plant closures in Ontario

AbstractEconomic resilience focuses on how localities react and respond to shocks. A recent conceptual advancement, known as the agency perspective and rooted in evolutionary thinking, highlights that economic actors (e.g., practitioners, firms, and institutions) play an essential role in localities' resilience. However, empirical investigations into the role of economic actors have been scarce. To address this shortcoming, in this study we conducted in‐depth interviews with 22 practitioners (economic development officials) from various cities in Ontario, Canada. Through an evolutionary lens, we examine practitioners' perceptions of and responses to endogenous shocks—notably, major industrial plant closures over the past 20 years. We find that practitioners influence localities' resilience through each dimension of the resilience process. Most notably, they support their localities' adaption through various short‐ and long‐term adaptive strategies. Also, we find that economic actors have different capacities and resources at their disposal to respond to shocks depending on the size of their city and its geographical location. Regarding the latter, we reiterate a commonly noted north‐south divide in the province. In addition, we find that economic actors are constrained by multi‐scalar policies, and thus operate in the confines of existing power and political structures.

Challenging the Refusal to Register an Advertising Slogan as a Trade Mark for the Lack of Distinctiveness

Hulka v Ministry of Economic Development, Italian Patent and Trademark Office (IPTO)

Dubreuilville (Canada): A Strategic Action Plan for a Rural Community

The town of Dubreuilville, with a population of just under 1,000, is located in Northern Ontario, Canada, approximately one thousand kilometers North-West of Toronto. The region was previously known for lumber production. When the Canadian lumber market collapsed due to the imposition of duties by Washington, the local mill shut down. Large gold deposits were found nearby, and Dubreuilville became a mining town almost overnight. Half of the population had left by the time the mine opened, and part of the workforce commutes from cities located up to six-hour drives away. With the opening of a second gold mine in the area planned for 2023, Dubreuilville had to prepare to attract and retain more workers for the project to succeed and for the town to prosper. Below is the strategic plan that was prepared by Mayor Nantel and Economic Development Officer Melanie Pilon, with the help of a Laurentian University Management professor and three students.

Teacher Collaboration and Instruction for Social-Emotional Learning: A Correlational Study

Teacher collaboration and social-emotional learning (SEL) are extant school improvement strategies intended to have a positive effect on student learning outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative, ex post facto study was to examine possible correlations between degree of teacher collaboration and use of instructional practices that support student SEL among lower secondary teachers (grades 7-9) in the United States (Leonard, 2021). Correlational analyses were conducted using a secondary dataset of the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) sponsored by the Office of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD, 2018). Results showed strong, statistically significant relationships between frequency of teacher engagement in higher-intensity “student-facing” collaborative actions such as peer observation, and the enactment of instructional approaches that contribute to student SEL, such as helping students believe they can do well in school and having them work in groups to come up with a joint solution to a problem. Implications for research and for the advancement of teacher collaboration and SEL in P12 schools are discussed.

Patterns in Local Economic Development in Light of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic pressured local governments to employ creative and untested economic development strategies to stabilize private businesses. To explore how the uncertainty of the pandemic impacted the priorities and strategies of economic development officials, we surveyed officials about their initial economic development response to the pandemic coupled with subsequent in-depth interviews in the Cincinnati metropolitan region. Our analysis suggests that local officials did not drastically alter their use of supply-side tools during the pandemic. However, they did start coupling supply-side with demand-side policies in unique ways compared to past economic crises. This study also finds that the pandemic affected collaboration processes, leading officials to deepen and forge relationships with other local governments. We find that these shifts have proven durable over the past year as municipalities continue to grapple with changing economic conditions due to COVID-19. As additional waves are likely, we suggest that administrators must consider the skills required to manage evolving economic conditions as well as both the supply and demand sides of local economic development.

Administration of 3,3-dimethyl-1-butanol is immunomodulatory in collagen induced arthritis murine model independent of TMA lyase activity

Abstract Studies of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and murine collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) link the intestinal microbiome with disease and pathogenic autoantibodies. We have previously identified significant alterations in carnitine metabolism in mice with CIA, providing a potential link between bacterial dysbiosis and autoimmunity. Dietary carnitine is metabolized into trimethylamine (TMA) by bacterial enzyme TMA lyase which is oxidized in the host liver to TMAO. Prior studies determined that 3,3-dimethyl-1-butanol (DMB) and fluoromethylcarnitine (FMC) inhibit TMA lyase. Therefore, we tested if TMA lyase inhibition with DMB or FMC could ameliorate CIA. Male DBA1/j mice at 6 weeks of age were injected with bovine type II collagen in complete Freund’s adjuvant at days 0 and 21. On day 21 drinking water was replaced with vehicle, 1% vol/vol DMB, or 100mg/kg FMC. Mice were monitored for arthritis until day 35. DMB-treated mice had a significant (>50%) reduction in arthritis severity, as well as decreased anti-collagen antibodies, serum IFN-γ, and IL-17 compared to FMC and vehicle-treated mice with CIA. However, only FMC significantly reduced intestinal TMA and circulating TMAO, while DMB did not affect TMA/TMAO, suggesting that the effect of DMB is independent of TMA lyase inhibition. Using gas chromatography, we confirmed that DMB is absorbed and metabolized in mice, thereby identifying a novel metabolite, 3,3-dimethyl-1-butyric acid (DMBut). During CIA, 1% vol/vol DMBut significantly reduced disease, suggesting it is an active metabolite of DMB. Altogether our study suggests that DMB and/or its metabolites are immunomodulatory in CIA. Elucidating its target and mechanism of action may provide directions for RA therapeutic development. Supported by Grants from NIH (U01HL152405, T32AI074491) and from the State of Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade Advanced Industries Accelerator Program

The Status of Coastal Marine Tourism in KwaZulu Natal in 2022

The 2014 Operation Phakisa: Oceans Economy Maritime growth strategy document made provision for the growth and development of six maritime sectors as part of the country’s economic growth strategy. One of the chosen sectors was coastal marine tourism. Within the South African context, coastal marine tourism has been most developed within the urban coastal areas like Durban, Ballito and Richards Bay as well as the southern coastal belt from Durban to Port Edward. Along the coastal regions between Durban and Kosi Bay, not much was known about the status of coastal marine tourism within the rural coastal areas. To understand the status of coastal marine tourism within these areas, the Moses Kotane Institute surveyed rural community coastal marine tourism (CMT) related businesses and local economic development officials within the districts of uMkhanyakude, King Cetshwayo, iLembe and Ugu. Participants were vocal about the challenges facing communities and fledgling businesses and the solutions needed. While all participants were able to identify some CMT products, they all agreed that communities were not enjoying the benefits of the CMT value chain or engaging in the industry as they should. Challenges cited included lack of infrastructure, insufficient knowledge of the sector, difficulty raising funding, lack of business knowledge or access to opportunities, and the powerlessness of local and provincial agencies when dealing with the administrators of the many protected areas, as they report directly to national government structures and get their mandate from national government and the ineffectiveness of many government programs and community interventions. They also referred to the government departments that had made a positive contribution towards community economic development and suggested interventions which they thought would assist them. These are all captured within this paper, together with observations and recommendations on interventions that can be made.

The geography of lifestyle center growth: The emergence of a retail cluster format in the United States

Just as geographers have given much attention to the evolution of shopping malls and power center retail complexes, it is equally important for research in business geography to continue to provide developmental evidence as new and distinctive retail cluster formats emerge and grow. The lifestyle center is a unique type of retail complex that has experienced much expansion across the United States yet has not received much research attention from location researchers. This study provides answers to basic questions, including the geography of lifestyle center development, the relationship of lifestyle center development to traditional mall activity, and the characteristics of lifestyle center market areas in comparison with the trade areas of their mall counterparts. The results show that lifestyle centers are developing in distinctive locations and markets within American cities that are not well-served by traditional malls. The study results also establish that lifestyle centers have a significant bias toward location in large cities, representing a clear contrast with traditional malls and their locational orientation toward smaller centers. The study summarizes these findings and argues that the emergence of the lifestyle center format has important implications for retailers, commercial property developers, and local economic development officials.

The Practices and Challenges of Fiscal Decentralization: A Case of Bedelle Woreda, Oromia Region, Ethiopia

The study's main objective was assessing the practices and challenges of fiscal decentralization at Bedelle woreda, with particular reference to basic selected sectors (Education, Agriculture, Health, Water, and Road). According to the nature of this study, a descriptive research design with qualitative and quantitative methods was adopted. The population of the study was government employees working in selected sectors of Bedelle Woreda. The census sampling technique was used in this research because the study population was manageable. To this effect, 128 participants were selected using a census sampling size. Besides this, Woreda (District) Finance and Economic Development and Woreda Revenue Office Authority officials were purposely selected to conduct interviews. The data-gathering instruments were questionnaires, key informant interviews, and document analyses. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were used for data analysis. In descriptive using frequencies and percentages and inferential statistics, multiple linear regression was used to assess relationships between the independent variables (legal framework, revenue, expenditure, employee experience, employee training, management commitment, and fiscal transfers) and the dependent variable (fiscal decentralization). The findings show that internal revenue raising and utilization in the selected sectors was very low. Besides, lack of autonomy in expenditure decisions of sectors, insufficient capacity building, the extent of fiscal transfer, and financial resource were the major challenges in the study area. Overall, the regression analysis revealed that, Revenue raising (β = -0.164, p<0.05), Expenditure decision (β = 0.236, p<0.05), Employee experience (β = 0.525, p<0.05), and Commitment of management (β = 0.172, p<0.05), all have statistically significant and positive effect on fiscal decentralization. Based on the study's findings, it is recommended that existing legal frameworks be modified to enable the sectors to use their budget in line with their action plan to generate and utilize sufficient revenues. Special emphasis should be given to an employee's capacity building, independence of planning and budgeting, and clear autonomy of expenditure assignments. Inter-governmental fiscal relations should also be planned to reduce the horizontal imbalances observed at selected sectors of the woreda under study.

Transportation Amenities and High-Tech Firm Location: An Empirical Study of High-Tech Clusters

Clustering and active transportation infrastructures have a significant impact on economic development strategies for attracting high-tech firms. High-tech firms cluster to create economies of scale. In theory, such clusters favor walkable and transit-accessible locations following the preferences of footloose workers of the creative class, an expectation that underpins pro-walkability and transit-accessible development strategies. Such approaches, however, fail to consider countervailing factors including changes in logistics, land values, the rise of the e-economy, and gig workers, which could result in a preference for auto-centric locations. This study addresses the knowledge gap by investigating differences in location behaviors of six high-tech sectoral categories with respect to transportation infrastructures. The analysis uses a firm-level micro dataset provided by Esri along with multiple logit regressions to explore the relationship between high-tech firm locations and transportation amenities in 627 high-tech clusters from the 52 largest U.S. regions. The results show that not all high-tech industries opt for walkable and transit-accessible locations. Compared with other high-tech specializations, professional services (i.e., data processing/computer or engineering and architectural services), which account for the largest share of high-tech employees, are drawn to walkable and transit rich areas near central business districts. On the other hand, auto-centric locations on the peripheries are home to aerospace and bio-pharmaceutical industries. In light of these findings, it is essential that economic development officials aiming to achieve balanced growth consider major local high-tech sector(s) and sectoral differences when making policy decisions.

Social Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Sparking Social Transformation

For over five years, Social Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (SEE), a community partnership in Northern Ontario, has been developing a supportive ecosystem for social enterprise, entrepreneurship, and innovation. This article sheds light on how the SEE partnership has established a broad spectrum of supports and a healthy ecosystem for alternative economies in a northern, rural, and Indigenous region, from an initial focus on youth, with asset mapping and pop-up events, to its current emphasis on regional networking and train-the-trainer programs for economic development officers. This article argues that the partnership’s strong emphasis on community engagement and empowerment, and the cyclical nature of the community-based research methodology has enhanced the sustainability of the ecosystem and leads to systemic social innovation and transformation.

Sparking Social Transformation through Cycles of Community-Based Research

For over five years, Social Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (SEE), a community partnership in Northern Ontario, has been developing a supportive ecosystem for social enterprise, entrepreneurship, and innovation. This article sheds light on how the SEE partnership has established a broad spectrum of supports and a healthy ecosystem for alternative economies in a northern, rural, and Indigenous region, from an initial focus on youth, with asset mapping and pop-up events, to its current emphasis on regional networking and train-the-trainer programs for economic development officers. This article argues that the partnership’s strong emphasis on community engagement and empowerment, and the cyclical nature of the community-based research methodology has enhanced the sustainability of the ecosystem and leads to systemic social innovation and transformation.

Comparative Analysis of Adopted Rural Development Measures in Saskatchewan: Five Case Studies

Over the last half century, most small regions and communities in Saskatchewan, Canada, have been facing a decline in their population. Major reasons for such a decline is outmigration of residents to larger centers that provide better quality of life as well as lack of new businesses moving into these communities, perhaps due to somewhat unattractive business climate. To secure economic development, some rural communities (including Rural Municipalities – RM) have attempted to lure business and residents through various types of incentives, including the use of tax and nontax incentives. Examples of such incentives have included, but not limited to, property tax incentives -- municipal tax abatement, property tax incentives, and commercial and industrial tax incentives. This study was based on a case study of five Saskatchewan rural municipalities (RM) in Saskatchewan to inquire about the effectiveness of such tax and nontax incentives. These communities were surveyed using a well-structured questionnaire. In most cases, interviewee was the economic development officer of the R.M., or failing that its mayor. Results of the success of the measures were mixed, as only one community indicated some success in attracting new consumer (tourists oriented) services / businesses. Even here, since this RM is located on a major national highway, marginal contribution of these incentives cannot be ascertained fully. Another R.M. indicated that the community was too small to have an economic development programs and joined neighbouring R.M. for joint collaboration. For other three RMs, the success of these incentives was noted to be nil to limited, although in one case, it was argued that the lead period between the implementation of the incentives and current reporting period was too short. This study confirms much of the evidence found in the literature that such impacts typically do not result in attracting new businesses or new residents. Other factors, particularly those related to attractiveness of the community (region) might play a more important role in rural economic development.

With Amazon HQ2, the Losers Are the Winners: Why Economic Development Subsidies Hurt More than They Help

On September 7, 2017, Amazon, Inc., announced that it would open a second headquarters by building “HQ2,” a new office equal in size to its Seattle campus, that would involve $5 billion in local business investments over 15–17 years and would eventually employ 50,000 workers with an average compensation more than $100,000. Amazon requested that interested cities submit proposals making the case for why their community would be the best fit for this massive new endeavor, including information on the public subsidies the city and state governments would offer to sweeten the deal. Amazon’s six-week deadline created a mad scramble among the 238 North American cities that eventually submitted bids, each attempting to illustrate why it in particular would be the best location to host Amazon’s new headquarters. Despite arguments from economic development officials justifying such subsidies, both economic theory and experience suggest that cities and states are throwing their money away when they court Amazon’s favor through subsidies. Even subsidies worth billions of dollars are unlikely to sway Amazon’s decision. Worse, these kinds of targeted economic development incentives fail to produce economic growth. In this paper, we examine the publicly known subsidies offered to Amazon as enticements to locate its second headquarters. We show that these subsidies are unlikely to alter the location decision of the company or lead to economic growth for the communities that offer them. We illustrate the tradeoffs that these subsidies would require in terms of forgone tax cuts and alternative uses of these funds for public services, such as safety and education. Lastly, we offer examples of institutional reforms — constitutional gift clauses, direct democracy, and interstate compacts — that could reduce the number of corporate subsidies in the future.

The Assessment of Internal Audit Practices in Ethiopia (The Case of Finance and Economic Development Office in Adama City)

The main objective of the study is to assess internal audit practice in finance and economic development office of Adama city. The researcher used descriptive type of research design and To achieve this objective the necessary data was collected from primary as well as secondary data sources, the primary data was collected from the target employees by using questionnaires and secondary data was obtained from manuals and related written materials and documents. From the company’s five (5) departments the researcher selects two departments such as audit, inspection and payment and account in order to take sample of the research project. The raw data obtained from questionnaires was analyzed by using simple frequency tables. based on the findings of the study, the organization doesn’t provide reasonable assurance regarding of prevention, or timely detection and correction of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the entity’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements, the company auditors doesn’t involve in the activities of drafting policies and there is a problem around classification of performance deficiencies. Based on this finding the researcher recommends that the organization should give attention regarding to these problems and try to overcome in cooperation with the employees in order to perform a quality audit inspection within the organization. Keywords: Internal audit, audit quality, competency, independence, audit planning DOI : 10.7176/RJFA/10-17-03 Publication date :September 30 th 2019

Beyond Borders: Governmental Fragmentation and the Political Market for Growth in American Cities

Political fragmentation has been conceptualized as a phenomenon which increases competition for mobile citizens and jobs between local governments within the same region. However, the empirical basis for this nexus between governmental fragmentation and increased competition for development is surprisingly lacking. Utilizing a newly constructed database that matches political fragmentation indices (horizontal, vertical, and bordered) to a nationwide survey of economic development officials in 2014, we begin to fill this gap by analyzing the influence fragmentation has on the use of tax incentives, regulatory flexibility, and community development tools in U.S. cities. Applying the political market framework and a Bayesian inferential approach, we find that the proliferation of local governments increases incentive use. However, more specialized governance increases the probability of using community development activities.

Budget Practice and Control in Public Sector Organizations (Case of Guto Gida Woreda Finance and Economic Development Office)

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the budget practice and control in the Guto Gida Wereda Finance and Economic Development office. From the total population of 428, (Watson 2001) formula was used to determine sample of 102 respondents. The management teams, the internal and external auditors, budget experts, finance officers, tax and planning experts of the selected public organization were the sources for the required data to the researchers through the questionnaires administered. The SPSS version 22.0 was used to analyze the data using descriptive statistics, including mean, standard deviation. The information and communication, cost reduction, competent internal audit staff, management support, budget monitoring and evaluation were contributed for the budget control in the public sector. Keywords: Budget, Guto Gida, Finance and Economic Development, Control, Practice DOI : 10.7176/RJFA/10-11-04 Publication date :June 30 th 2019

Positive Net Neutrality: Zero-Rating and the Material Reduction of Consumer Choice

Zero-rating is a permitted class of ‘positive’ net neutrality violations under the European Union’s ‘Net Neutrality’ Regulation. Conversely, ‘negative’ net neutrality violations, normally associated with the blocking and throttling of content that threatens an Internet Service Provider’s business model, are strictly prohibited. With the European Commission set for a public consultation on zero-rating, and The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications set to issue updated guidelines on the practice, the paper assesses the present state of zero-rating in Europe, focusing on differentiation cases to assess what types of positive net neutrality violations could result in a “material reduction on consumer choice” for mobile consumers. As zero-rating is generally limited to mobile subscriptions that include data caps, the Office of Economic Development has warned regulators to be vigilant against practices that could result in users constantly monitoring their data usage or limiting access to non-zero-rated services. The practice of ‘zero-rating’ in Europe poses a unique challenge to regulatory authorities keen to protect the principle of net neutrality. While consumers perceive free access to certain content, applications and programs as beneficial, zero-rating also contravenes the general aims of the Regulation: that Internet traffic is managed by Internet Service Providers in a non-discriminatory manner and that consumer choice is protected. While the practice might be seen to benefit consumers, zero-rating can also affect the number of providers entering the market and compromise the Regulation’s aim to “guarantee the continued functioning of the internet ecosystem as an engine of innovation”. The paper examines the state of zero-rating services, with specific emphasis on positive net neutrality violations across the European Union. We examine from both a normative perspective and by analysing rulings from National Regulatory Agencies empowered with supervision and enforcement duties by the ‘Net Neutrality’ Regulation. Drawing on behavioural economics and cognitive psychology literature, the paper suggests too much choice in zero-rating services can actually lead to less than optimal decision-making by consumers. Rational theory posits that more choice is good for consumers; yet, in reality, more choice can actually result in a less-informed decisions, inadvertently empowering more recognizable Content and Application Providers at the expense of lesser-known ones. From our critique of the rulings, we conclude with an overview or what amounts to permitted/prohibited zero-rating practices in the European Union and argue that a hybrid regulatory response – involving market- and principle-based regulation is needed alongside command-and-control rules to ensure zero-rating services do not amount to a material reduction in consumer choice.

Abstract P6-03-10: Using high-frequency ultrasound (20-80 MHz) to differentiate malignant vs benign breast tissue in surgical margins

Abstract The use of high-frequency (HF) ultrasound (20-80 MHz) to determine tissue pathology is an inexpensive and real-time tool for differentiation of surgical margin specimens from breast conservation surgery (BCS). The development of this method as an intraoperative tool for BCS would greatly reduce the rate of re-excisions due to positive breast tissue margins. HF ultrasound was previously used in a 17-patient study to determine differences in breast tissue pathology of 34 surgical margins. Results from this pilot study demonstrated high accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity in the HF ultrasound data, and showed the immense potential of this method as a breast cancer detection tool. A large-scale validation study of this method was subsequently conducted using 349 margin specimens taken from 73 patients during BCS. Specimens ranged from 1-5 cm in length and width, 0.2-1.6 cm in thickness, and did not require any additional procedures or resection that affected the patient or surgical outcome. Each specimen was tested with HF ultrasound immediately following resection and then forwarded to pathology. Through-transmission data were collected from the specimens using two broadband, single-element transducers with a 50-MHz peak frequency (Olympus NDT, V358-SU), a HF square-wave pulser/receiver (UTEX, UT340), and a 1-GHz digital oscilloscope (Agilent, DSOX3104A). Peak density (the number of peaks and valleys in the 20-80 MHz frequency spectra range) and attenuation data were calculated from the ultrasonic spectra and waveforms, respectively. Peak density and attenuation correlate directly to tissue malignancy, and thresholds for these two parameters for differentiating benign vs. malignant tissue were determined using Fisher's Exact Test applied to the previously collected pilot study data. The peak density and attenuation results were then combined using a multivariate analysis. Since the ultrasonic measurements were collected on a per position basis (1-5 positions per margin), but the histopathology results were reported on a per specimen basis, the statistical measures for the ultrasonic results were calculated using two methods. First, the statistical measures were calculated based on a per position basis, where the pathology of each position was determined by the pathology results for the entire specimen. Second, the statistical measures were calculated based on a per specimen basis, where only one measurement position on each margin was selected (based on the highest peak density value) to correlate to the specimen pathology. The results of the first approach (per position basis) showed a sensitivity of 82.6%, a specificity of 72.3%, and an accuracy of 72.7%. The results of the second approach (per specimen basis) showed a sensitivity of 82.6%, a specificity of 61.7%, and an accuracy of 63.0%. The results of this study show potential for a rapid and inexpensive method of determining pathology of breast tissue surgical margins during BCS. This work was supported by funds from the Elsa U. Pardee Foundation, the Eppley Foundation for Research, the Western Alliance for Expanding Student Opportunities, theGovernor's Office of Economic Development of the State of Utah, the University of Utah, and Utah Valley University. Citation Format: Carter C, Neumayer LA, Factor RE, Doyle TE. Using high-frequency ultrasound (20-80 MHz) to differentiate malignant vs benign breast tissue in surgical margins [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-03-10.

Producing drama: a comparison of film tax incentives to alternative uses

ABSTRACTIncentive packages are popular tools for economic development. However, development projects are often considered in isolation without an analysis of opportunity costs. In this study, we use an intuitive framework for comparing projects and weigh alternate projects against North Carolina’s film incentive programme. The results indicate that there are substantial differences in the economic impact of the projects we consider in this study. Our results suggest that policy decisions by governments and economic development officials should weigh a potential project against alternative uses in order to optimize the use of incentives.