What Works Best?: Values and the Evaluation of Local Economic Development Policy

Abstract

This article addresses several issues related to values and the evaluation of local economic development policies. First, it focuses on the issue of goals in relation to the evaluation of local policies: What is one trying to achieve with local economic development policies? Second, it addresses connections between how goals are defined, what analysts choose to evaluate, and the results of evaluations. Finally, the article suggests an alternative approach to evaluating local development policies, incorporating an explicit identification of values and a broader notion of what is meant by local economic development.