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The effects of supporting local business: evidence from the UK

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  • Einiö, Elias
  • Overman, Henry G.

Abstract

This paper assesses the effects of a significant place-based intervention that targeted local businesses in deprived areas in the UK. To gain identification, we use data at a fine spatial scale and a regression discontinuity design exploiting the eligibility deprivation rank rule based on a pre-determined deprivation index. We detect no overall effects on employment in treated areas but find a significant displacement of employment from nearby untreated areas, corresponding to around 10% of local employment. The results suggest that indirect displacement effects may substantially weaken the ability of local support programmes targeting the non-tradable sector to reduce economic inequality.

Suggested Citation

  • Einiö, Elias & Overman, Henry G., 2020. "The effects of supporting local business: evidence from the UK," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 102935, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:102935
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/102935/
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    2. Gibbons, Stephen & Overman, Henry & Sarvimäki, Matti, 2021. "The local economic impacts of regeneration projects: Evidence from UK's single regeneration budget," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    3. Manon Garrouste & Miren Lafourcade, 2022. "Place-Based Policies: Opportunity for Deprived Schools or Zone-and-Shame Effect?," Post-Print hal-04329793, HAL.
    4. Crescenzi, Riccardo & Di Cataldo, Marco & Giua, Mara, 2020. "It’s not about the money. EU funds, local opportunities, and Euroscepticism," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    5. Freedman, Matthew & Khanna, Shantanu & Neumark, David, 2023. "Combining rules and discretion in economic development policy: Evidence on the impacts of the California Competes Tax Credit," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    6. Bearzotti, Enia & Polanec, Sašo & Bartolj, Tjaša, 2023. "The Effects of Subsidies on Firm Size and Productivity," MPRA Paper 118490, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Gabriel, José Mesquita & dos Santos, João Pereira & Tavares, José, 2022. "European funds and firm performance: Evidence from a natural experiment," Ruhr Economic Papers 966, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    8. Marjan Petreski, 2021. "Measuring economic effects of state aid granted to private enterprises in North Macedonia: The case of the governmental Plan for Economic Growth," Finance Think Policy Studies 2021-05/34, Finance Think - Economic Research and Policy Institute.
    9. Julien Martin & Florian Mayneris, 2022. "Revue de littérature sur l’incidence fiscale des taxes sur les entreprises," CIRANO Project Reports 2022rp-06, CIRANO.
    10. Mesquita, José & Pereira dos Santos, João & Tavares, José, 2023. "European Funds and Firm Performance: Evidence from a Natural Experiment," IZA Discussion Papers 16526, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    11. Marjan Petreski, 2022. "State Aid Causing Distinct Incentives? Quasi-Experimental Measurement of the Effects of Grants on Private Enterprises in North Macedonia," Evaluation Review, , vol. 46(2), pages 200-230, April.
    12. Ferrara, Antonella Rita & Dijkstra, Lewis & McCann, Philip & Nisticó, Rosanna, 2022. "The response of regional well-being to place-based policy interventions," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    13. Li, Xiaoying & Shi, Dongbo & Zhou, Sifan, 2023. "The minimum wage and the locations of new business entries in China: Estimates based on a refined border approach," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    14. Cerqua, Augusto & Pellegrini, Guido, 2022. "Decomposing the employment effects of investment subsidies," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    employment; business support; local growth; programme evaluation; displacement; regression discontinuity; ES/J021342/1; ES/G005966/1; UKRI block grant;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • J20 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - General
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General

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