Diving into the third waves of regional governance and economic development strategies: A study of regional partnerships for economic development in U.S. metropolitan areas. Economic Development Quarterly

In a number of areas in the United States, local governments, often with the help of private sector firms and nonprofit organizations, have voluntarily formed groups or alliances whose mission is to enhance the economy of a multijurisdictional area. This article presents the results of the first study of a large number of these “regional part-nerships for economic development ” (N = 133) in U.S. metropolitan areas. The study concludes that the number of regional partnerships for economic development increased fourfold from the 1970s to the 1990s. Further, it finds that both government officials and business leaders play key roles in these regional partnerships, as partici-pants, decision makers, and financial contributors. In addition, this study determines that themost common activities undertaken by these partnerships deal with marketing and government affairs. In a number of regions in the United States, local governments, often with the help of private sector firms and nonprofit organizations, have formed groups or alliances that take a regional approach to making and implementing policies. One policy arena in which these “regional partnerships ” have gained popularity during the past few decades is economic development. A study of 44 large met