Diving into the “Third Waves” of Regional Governance and Economic Development Strategies: A Study of Regional Partnerships for Economic Development in U.S. Metropolitan Areas

Abstract

In a number of areas in the United States, local governments, often with the help of private sector firms and nonprofit organizations, have voluntarily formed groups or alliances whose mission is to enhance the economy of a multijurisdictional area. This article presents the results of the first study of a large number of these “regional partnerships for economic development” ( N = 133) in U.S. metropolitan areas. The study concludes that the number of regional partnerships for economic development increased fourfold from the 1970s to the 1990s. Further, it finds that both government officials and business leaders play key roles in these regional partnerships, as participants, decision makers, and financial contributors. In addition, this study determines that the most common activities undertaken by these partnerships deal with marketing and government affairs.

An Analysis of the Factors that Influence Regional Economic Development Cooperation

“…The extant literature reveals that there is a positive correlation between regional cooperation and the cooperative norms that exist in government, the private sector, and the citizenry (Olberding, 2002a). This positive correlation of cooperative norms could be used as the leverage to propel negotiations for regional cooperation forward (Feiock, 2009).…”

“…From a strictly rational economic perspective, it is a notable challenge to justify regional cooperation. Yet, the number of regional organizations responsible for managing economic development programs across local and state boundaries has grown (Olberding, 2002a).…”

“…The dissertation begins by recognizing the difficulties of crafting meaningful regional economic development cooperation agreements across local jurisdictions, and seeks to determine if accumulated social capital among the stakeholders of a region is a critical and catalytic ingredient in the formulation of such cooperative agreements. (Feiock, Steinacker, & Park, 2009) (Olberding, 2002a) Ostrom, 1998).…”

“…Research focused on economic development collective action has certainly carved out a space for conjecture about the role of social capital in this process (Feiock, Steinacker, & Park, 2009). Recent contributions of targeted research have concluded that community attributes of social capital do positively influence the cooperative efforts to regionalize economic development activity (Olberding, 2002a). The comparative case study will contribute to the research on this specific topic by specifically examining the influence of social capital on the network of essential stakeholders involved in regional economic development transactions.…”

“…Public officials who enter into such agreements may have to endure criticism from local constituents. Despite the uncertainties and risks inherent in this voluntary process, more than 100 economic regions across the nation have addressed this social dilemma and creatively structured organizations to conduct regional economic development activities (Olberding, 2002a).…”