This Week’s Report: Attracting Jobs

State and local governments seeking to attract jobs hand out as much as $70 billion in tax breaks and other incentives to business annually, and proponents say such incentives help localities prosper. But as staff writer Marcia Clemmitt notes in this week’s Researcher, many economists argue that subsides are poor investments of taxpayer dollars.

“Economists say many companies that receive perks fail to deliver promised jobs,” she writes. “And many also question whether the intense rivalry for jobs among states leads to little more than an economic shell game, with jobs moving from one place to another without a significant net national gain in employment.”

This report is ideal for classes and papers on economic policy, state and local governance, political science and labor relations.

--Thomas J. Billitteri, Managing Editor