ProGov21 Policy Library

Tax Breaks and Inequality: Enriching Billionaires and Low-Road Employers in the Name of Economic Development

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2014

Level County

State(s) All States

Source Good Jobs First

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Community Development, Finance & Procurement

The intensification of economic inequality, one of the defining issues of our times, has many causes, ranging from the weakening of labor unions to the decimation of inheritance taxes. This report argues that another factor belongs on the list: subsidies given by state and local governments...

Advancing Racial Equity in the City of Oakland's Small Business Ecosystem

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level City or Town

State(s) California

Source The Greenlining Institute

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights

For small business owners of color, entrepreneurship remains a critical wealth-building tool providing a pathway to self-determination and the middle class. In Oakland and nationally, entrepreneurs of color face significant barriers in starting and scaling their business due to the...

Closing the Funding and Opportunity Gaps for Women and Minority-Owned Business

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2015

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source American Sustainable Business Council

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Finance & Procurement

This report outlines the unique barriers facing women and minority-owned businesses. It also outlines policy solutions for closing the funding gap for women and minority-owned businesses....

Ensuring Racial Equity in Public Contracting

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2013

Level County

State(s) All States

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Community Development, Public Spaces, Democracy & Governance

Businesses owned by people of color create jobs and build wealth in communities of color. Yet despite rapid growth of entrepreneurship among people of color - and women of color in particular - these businesses face significant barriers to growth and success. Government spending on...

Supporting Entrepreneurs and Small Business

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2014

Level County

State(s) All States

Source National League of Cities

Policy Areas Community Development, Finance & Procurement, Economic Justice

Local leaders recognize and often publicly tout the importance of a strong, growing entrepreneurial and small business community. Yet, when it comes to supporting entrepreneurs in practice, many local leaders are unsure how they can make a real impact. This tool kit examines the question:...

Safeguarding Small Business During The Pandemic: 26 Strategies For Local Leaders

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level Other Boards and Agencies

State(s) All States

Source Institute for Local Self-Reliance

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Community Development

America's small businesses are facing an existential crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has closed shops and offices across the nation, with dire economic consequences. And the local governments and nonprofit organizations that support small businesses are on the front lines of this crisis....

Poll Report: Small Business Owners' Views on Retirement Security

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2013

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source American Sustainable Business Council

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights

This report, which contains the results of a scientific national phone survey of small business owners (2 to 99 employees) conducted in March 2013, is designed to inform policy discussions about retirement security and serve as a basis for evaluating proposals that address the needs...

The Pink Zone - Where Small is Possible

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source The Project For Lean Urbanism

Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice

One barrier to economic development can be the overwhelming and expensive process of compliance with regulatory requirements for small businesses. A Pink Zone — an area where the red tape is lightened — is the locus for implementation of lean strategies and improvements, and it identifies...

The Effects of Wal-Mart on Local Labor Markets

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2008

Level County

State(s) All States

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Economic Justice

In response to a policy debate, this report finds that the opening of a Walmart store in a county leads to a reduction in county-level retail employment by approximately 150 workers, implying that each Walmart worker replaces around 1.4 retail workers, resulting in a 2.7 percent decrease...

Helping Entrepreneurs of Color Grow Their Business

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source Initiative for a Competitive Inner City

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice, Civil Rights

Minority-owned businesses play an increasingly important role in the U.S. economy. The nearly one million (996,248) minority-owned businesses with paid employees contribute $1.2 trillion in revenue and eight million jobs to the economy. Minority-owned businesses are especially important...

Executive Order 2020-12: COVID-19 Civil Emergency - Extensions of City Closures and Relief Measures

Type Executive Order

Year 2020

Level City or Town

State(s) Washington

Source City of Seattle

Policy Areas Public Spaces, Housing, Health

An executive order directing City departments to further extend their actions to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and to mitigate the impact of the public health emergency on the people of Seattle....

Searching for Economic Development Equity: An Overview of Leading Economic Development Entities in Atlanta, Detroit, St. Louis, New Orleans, and Memphis

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level City or Town

State(s) Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee

Source Good Jobs First

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Community Development, Housing, Transportation & Mobility

Memphis is experiencing unequal growth; while some neighborhoods are benefitting from new development, increased investments and an increase in high-paying jobs, others are experiencing decline or lagging in growth. This paper examines how economic development activities are structured,...

Racial & Ethnic Economic Inequality and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level County

State(s) All States

Source The Democracy Collaborative

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Health

Data from states and municipalities across the country suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting people of color in the United States. This report analyzes emerging data on deaths, unemployment, failing businesses, and wealth inequality to assess the links...

Minority and Women Entrepreneurs: Building Capital, Networks, and Skills

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2015

Level County

State(s) All States, Wyoming

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Community Development, Public Spaces, Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Education

The United States has an enviable entrepreneurial culture and a track record of building new companies. Yet new and small business owners often face particular challenges, including lack of access to capital, insufficient business networks for peer support, investment, and business...

Metropolitan Business Plans: A New Approach to Economic Growth

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2011

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Brookings

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Democracy & Governance

This policy brief explains how metropolitan business plans offer an innovative and equitable approach to economic development, particularly through market research, cost-benefit analysis, and investment in catalytic policies and products. It highlights three metropolitan regions that...

Immigrants and the Economy: Contribution of Immigrant Workers to the Country's 25 Largest Metropolitan Areas

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2009

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source Fiscal Policy Institute

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights

This report examines the economic role of immigrants in the 25 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. The report finds that the immigration and economic growth of metro areas go hand in hand; immigrants contribute to the economy in proportion to their share of the population....

Small Business Relief Programs: Local and State Governments Have Marshalled $9.27 Billion for Small Business Relief, But Desperately Need More Funds

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town, County, State, National

State(s) All States

Source Institute for Local Self-Reliance

Policy Areas Economic Justice

Cities, counties, states, and community organizations have established more than 800 programs to provide financial assistance to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. As these programs provided by local and state governments run out of funds, this report argues that additional...

Good Intentions vs. Effective Outcomes: An Analysis of Selected New Mexico Tax Incentives

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2017

Level State

State(s) New Mexico

Source Good Jobs First

Policy Areas Economic Justice

Tax incentives given in the name of economic development are the dominant form of spending for job creation in New Mexico; these types of tax incentives are also the least transparent and most poorly monitored. Thus, in response to New Mexico’s costly, ineffective, and insufficiently...

2013 New York City Local Law 1 Improving Access to City Procurement Conctracts

Type Act or Session Law

Year 2013

Level City or Town

State(s) New York

Source City of New York

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance, Finance & Procurement

This law improves access to city procurement contracts for minority-owned and women-owned businesses. It grants authority to the commissioner of small business services to direct agencies to increase participation from these groups, develop standardized forms, offer assistance and...

Cuyahoga Ordinance O2014-00 Establishing the Economic Inclusion Program

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2014

Level County

State(s) Ohio

Source City Council Of Cuyahoga County

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights

This ordinance establishes the Economic Inclusion Program, which sets aspirational goals for women and minority owned businesses, and holds set-aside contracts for race and gender-neutral small businesses. It outlines the various components of the program and discusses how it will...

Affordable Space How Rising Commercial Rents Are Threatening Independent Businesses, and What Cities Are Doing About It

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2016

Level County

State(s) All States

Source Institute for Local Self-Reliance

Policy Areas Community Development, Public Spaces, Finance & Procurement, Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance, Housing, Public Safety

The cost of leasing commercial space is soaring in many U.S. cities, threatening the future of independent businesses. In cities as diverse as Oakland and Nashville, Milwaukee and Portland, Maine, retail rents have shot up by double-digit percentages over the last year alone. As the...

Going Local: Quantifying the Economic Impacts of Buying from Locally Owned Businesses in Portland, Maine

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2011

Level County

State(s) Maine

Source Maine Center for Economic Policy

Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice, Finance & Procurement

This report compares the impact of locally owned businesses versus national chains on Greater Portland's local economy. They find that increased consumption from locally owned business stimulates greater economic activity. Every $100 spent at locally owned businesses generates an...

7 Steps to Municipal Resilience & Recovery

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Community Development

COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on local communities and economies. In response, this guide outlines seven steps municipal governments can take to hasten their recovery and build resilience for the future. These actions emphasize equitable outcomes, and were developed with the...

Expanding Economic Opportunity: Minority & Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Programs

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source Local Progress

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Economic Justice, Finance & Procurement

Although minority and/or women-owned business enterprises (MWBEs) serve a critical role in our national economy, they are more likely than most other businesses to face disproportionate economic challenges. To address this MWBE programs can alter traditional procurement rules to increase...

Thinking Differently About Development

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2013

Level County, City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Government Finance Review

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Housing

Mixed-use, high-density development produces greater revenues per acre than low-density patterns. This report highlights how suburban areas generate less tax revenue than urban areas but incur higher public costs and consume more land. It recommends that municipalities reinvest in...

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