Public Affairs 7531: Economic Development Policy and Practice

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This is a sample syllabus to provide general information about the course and it's requirements. Course requirements are subject to change. This syllabus does not contain all assignment or course detail and currently enrolled students should reference the syllabus provided by their instructor. For a specific syllabus, please email us a request.

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Course Overview

3 Credit Hours
Modalities Available: Online 

Public Affairs 7531 Economic Development Policy & Practice is a microeconomic and public policy approach to understanding regional economies and public policy. The course provides a graduate introduction to data, analysis, policy, strategy, and the elements of practice. In the skill sessions students analyze a US metropolitan economy using non-econometric analytical techniques. Students will become familiar with analytic methods that are commonly used in the analysis of regional economies: location quotients, the interpretation of input-output tables and multipliers, and inflating and deflating monetary units.

Learning Outcomes

Students who are successful in this course will be able to:

  1. Think in a systematic manner about how economies develop
  2. Be able to write a static analysis of a regional economy
  3. Understand how public policies relating to economic development are formed and executed
  4. Understand how economic development is practiced and its relationship with community, workforce, and real estate development.
  5. Understand professional practice

Requirements and Expectations

A text book may be required for this class. Please check your instructor's syllabus for details.

 

Your final grade will be based on the following:

  • Midterm Examination, 25%
  • Four analytical exercises
    • Excel Basics, Exercises 1-4, 5%
    • Location Quotient Analysis, 10%
    • Metro Area Briefing Document, 20%
  • Final take-home examination, 30%
  • Meaningful and informed class participation, 10%

  1. Excel Basics, Exercises: You will be given both the tutorial and the key, and the goal is for you to achieve a baseline competency with Excel before starting The LQ analysis.
  2. Location Quotient Analysis: In this assignment, you will calculate location quotients (LQs) for the industries in your given MSA. You will be graded on both the correct calculation of the LQs and a brief (no more than 3 paragraphs) memo explaining the implications of your MSA’s set of LQs.
  3. Metro Area Briefing Document: This is short 2-to-4-page document that presents the strengths and weaknesses of the regional (metropolitan) economy that was profiled in the previous two exercises. The page count does not include figures or tables. You are to describe the regional economy analytically and develop information-graphics that illustrate your case. Some of these graphics should use the LQ data. Details of each assignment will be given to you in a handout which will include a rubric.

Weekly Schedule

  1. Introduction; The work of economic developers
  2. Skill: Data management and location quotient
  3. Seven concepts that frame regional economic development; Evolution of economic development policy
  4. Professional practice at the municipal and neighborhood level; Practicing economic development through income statements
  5. Agglomeration and tacit knowledge; The Devil’s Bargain: Product life cycles and regional industry portfolios
  6. Agency or assets? Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and the Fork in the Road; Metropolitan spatial structure
  7. Site selection and Business Climate; Incentives and strategies for attracting investment—or not
  8. Midterm; Asset-based development
  9. Comparative & competitive advantage & the economic base; Input-Output Analysis
  10. Impact Analysis; Economic clusters and supply-chain views
  11. Coping with Adversity
  12. Coping with Adversity; What’s wrong with the Suburban Dependence Legacy City & Hypotheses?
  13. People versus place, or people in place; Community Development
  14. Regional Development: Panel; Governing workforce development
  15. Ten Rules of Economic Development

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