Critical Evaluations of Economic Development Policies

The values that shape present-day economic development policies are often not plainly expressed. This study shows how the use of nontraditional methods of evaluation can foreground the values that inform public policy and determine whether or not those values and the policies that arise from them are in the best interests of the community that adopts them. The methodology defined in this book not only provides means for judging the success of failure of economic development programmes, but also offers tactics for judging how well policies address needs according to a community's own value system. The essays in the text establish critical models, illustrate how such models may be applied and show how evaluations of a single programme made from the perspectives of differing value systems lead to different conclusions about the success or failure of the programme. In doing so, these essays demonstrate the crucial importance of continuing dialogue between those who make policies and those who access them. This dynamic collection proposes to stimulate discussion among scholars, developers and urban administrators to build awareness of the ways to foster informed policies and evaluate their outcomes.