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Everybody Knows the Definition of Economic Development, Right?
If you ask the average person for the definition of economic development, you'll probably hear about attracting businesses, industries, home building, or construction of some sort into your community.
Maybe if you're lucky, you'll hear about job creation. In a stricter sense, the definition of economic development should be those activities that cause a net gain of money flow, called an "economic base", into the community. This is equally true in Tokyo, New York, Barcelona, Peoria, and a village in Kenya. The economic base consists of production of goods and services where a surplus remains after local consumption needs for that product, service, or activity has been satisfied. It's best to learn this through examples.
What Is Economic Development?The classic economic development activity in the U.S. in the twentieth century was industry. If your community hosted a toaster factory, for example, it would be pretty obvious that you were not making toasters just for yourselves. A majority of households, in your small town might buy the brand of toaster manufactured there. But the factory made many more toasters that it could "export" all over the country or the world.In this example, the money from the export of the toasters not used locally would be an economic gain for the community, and the net gain is economic development, using the stricter definition of the term advocated here. It's true that much of the money generated from the work of local laborers escaped from the community and enriched managers elsewhere and corporate ownership, whether the company is privately held or a publicly traded corporation. However, the wages of local workers are spent in the local community to some extent, and that in turn adds to the income of other community members who work for the local grocery store, own businesses on Main Street, own rental properties, and repair automobiles at the local garage. Thus there is a "multiplier effect" on the local economy when wages are spent at other local businesses. Because of the toaster manufacture, other local businesses do more business than they would otherwise. Why Selling Things to Each Other Is Not Economic DevelopmentContrast the toaster example with the example of a taco chain coming to your town. In the case of tacos, there is no surplus left at the end of the day if the business knows what it is doing.In most cases, the tacos are purchased by local people, so the community is not really generating a "surplus" that it can sell or "export." The notable exception is with tourism oriented communities, where people outside the community do indeed add to the market for restaurants. Just as in the toaster manufacturing example, if management and ownership of the taco chain reside outside the community, income leaks out of the community. Because the multiplier effect only kicks in when income is spent inside the community, the return of money to out-of-town managers, franchise fees, and out-of-town owners or stockholders represents a decrease in the amount of money that is available to feed the local economy. You can compute the classic measure of your economic base by following directions on our location quotient page. If you feel that the economic base term has been degraded so much that no one will "hear" you when you use it, a newer and perhaps more accurate way to think of true economic development is emerging. This centers on the distinction between tradable and non-tradable goods and services, with the tradables being those items that aren't consumed locally. What’s Your Definition of Economic Development?Now I've explained the classic definition. I know from many experiences as a consultant that I probably haven't talked you out of thinking that any new building is a great thing and of course it's economic development.Just consider that a better definition of economic development may prevent you from futile gambles on tax incentives that don't raise the level of prosperity in your community over the long run. International economic development conversations also should focus on bringing in money from outside the community, not just recirculating the same money. That's why bringing in one cell phone to each isolated village is a potent tactic. Without contact with the outside world, a village that doesn't have a good road can hardly sell its goods. And without access to a good road or other dependable, regular transportation network, economic development won't happen. One more definition of economic development I often hear in lower income communities or international circles is raising income levels of individuals. Unfortunately the plain word "poverty" has fallen out of favor. That's a very important issue, and you'll find more about community poverty in developed countries on another page. Alleviating poverty in the developing countries often depends on building the transportation and communication infrastructure, as well as encouraging creativity and entrepreneurship.
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