Business Development and the Revitalization of Underdeveloped Local Economies

Abstract

Predictable historical patterns have allowed poverty and associated social problems to dominate many economically underdeveloped communities. Intervening with prevailing free-market forces can help to reverse the cycle of increasing poverty in such communities. By promoting the development of large, mid-sized, and small businesses in underdeveloped neighborhoods, the government and economic development corporations (EDCs) can help to improve the lives of the millions of Americans living in these communities while increasing the productivity and wealth of the nation as a whole. [From introductory section]