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The local economic impacts of regeneration projects: Evidence from UK's single regeneration budget

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  • Gibbons, Stephen
  • Overman, Henry
  • Sarvimäki, Matti

Abstract

Many governments aim to improve the labour market outcomes of people living in deprived areas through "place-making" initiatives. Economists are often sceptical about the effectiveness of such policies, but empirical evidence on their impacts remains limited. We examine the impact of building subsidised business floor space in deprived neighbourhoods in the UK. Our estimates suggest that while the £8.2bn investment into these projects increased the number of jobs located in the targeted neighbourhoods, it did little to improve the employment of local residents.

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  • 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).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:juecon:v:122:y:2021:i:c:s0094119020300863
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jue.2020.103315
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    Cited by:

    1. Daniel Borbely & Gennaro Rossi, 2023. "Urban regeneration projects and crime: evidence from Glasgow," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 23(6), pages 1273-1301.
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    3. Ling Li & Fangzhou Xia, 2023. "City subcenter as a regional development policy: Impact on the property market," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(3), pages 643-673, June.
    4. Eppelsheimer, Johann & Jahn, Elke J. & Rust, Christoph, 2022. "The spatial decay of human capital externalities - A functional regression approach with precise geo-referenced data," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    5. Chareyron, Sylvain & Goffette-Nagot, Florence & Letrouit, Lucie, 2022. "Externalities from urban renewal: Evidence from a French program," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    6. Eppelsheimer, Johann & Rust, Christoph, 2020. "The Spatial Decay of Human Capital Externalities - A Functional Regression Approach with Precise Geo-Referenced Data," IAB-Discussion Paper 202021, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    7. Juanfeng Zhang & Danxia Zhang & Lele Li & Hui Zeng, 2020. "Regional impact and spillover effect of public infrastructure investment: An empirical study in the Yangtze River Delta, China," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(4), pages 1749-1765, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Single regeneration budget; Regeneration; Employment; Neighbourhoods; Urban policy;
    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
    • J08 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics Policies
    • H50 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - General

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