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In 1984, California joined the growing list of states adopting enterprise zone legislation in an attempt to stimulate targeted business development and employment growth within economically distressed areas. This article reports on a first-ever assessment of whether California's two enterprise zone programs have stimulated employment. The existing Enterprise Zone and Economic Incentive Area programs (referred to in the article collectively as enterprise zone programs) have produced very modest economic benefits, and there is little evidence to suggest that they have strengthened the economic advantages of California's zones. Shift-share analysis indicates that employment growth was lower than predicted in 11 of 13 areas. A survey of businesses indicates that in only 23 cases did zone program incentives influence plant location or expansion decisions. In and of themselves, zone incentives and resources have apparently done little to boost job creation and business investment.

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In spite of its potential value to governments, detailed information as to how land prices vary spatially within Third World cities is usually lacking. This paper discusses the distribution of land prices in Jakarta using information provided on a neighbourhood basis by experienced real estate brokers. Appraised prices were given for different types of residential plot distinguished by tenure and infrastructural provision. Analysis of the data in Jakarta shows the relative importance of infrastructural provision and tenure (land title) for land prices. Examination of such data over time makes it possible to test whether and where there has been a spiralling of land prices, and in the case of Jakarta it is found that recent price increases have been consistently greater in suburban areas and in informal-sector plots, arising from the massive demand from low-income households for affordable housing. The paper concludes by drawing out policy implications.

Well-functioning urban land and housing markets are critical success factors for achieving robust economic growth. This paper provides an overview of urban land and housing market performance in Punjab Province of Pakistan. It describes the characteristics of well-functioning markets and argues that the Punjab’s present markets are not performing adequately. In fact, there exists a range of impediments to efficient urban land and housing market performance: excessive public land ownership, inadequate infrastructure services, weak property rights, pervasive public- and private-sector rent seeking, counter-productive urban planning policies and regulations, costly sub-division and construction regulations, limited financing for property development and acquisition, rent controls and inadequate property-tax-based revenue-generating mechanisms. The paper concludes by suggesting that a prioritised comprehensive reform agenda is needed to improve urban land and housing market performance in Punjab Province. The analytical and conceptual approach used to research this paper is based on standard neo-classical economics. Therefore, the paper does not address broader political economy or structural issues. Consequently, the paper’s contribution should be viewed as limited in scope.