A severe national recession in 1973-75, followed by a weak expansion from 1975 to 1979 and another recession in 1979-82, has left many local governments with persistent unemployment and budgetary stress. While these problems are especially acute for central cities adversely affected by sectoral shifts in the national economy and a deteriorating employment base, previously healthy suburban areas have not been immune.Communities have responded to these problems with accelerated economic development efforts that center on advertising campaigns, site selection assistance,financial incentives, tax abatements and employment training programs. The expressed purpose of these programs is to attract new businesses and retain existing ones, increasing or stabilizing the local tax base and providing jobs to unemployed residents.

This report is part of the collection of scanned historical documents available to the public.