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Community Development Block Grants at 40: Time for a Makeover

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  • Michael J. Rich

Abstract

This article reviews the origins and evolution of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the federal government's largest program providing direct assistance to local governments. The article examines the program's changing national policy context over its 40-year history, as manifest in presidential, executive, and legislative deliberations over the program's national goals and objectives, as well as the key components of the program's policy design and administrative structure. The article also explores how the decisions affecting policy design adopted at the national level play out at the local level, through an examination of the choices communities have made regarding uses of CDBG funds and the social and geographic targeting outcomes that have been obtained. The article then revisits the extent to which the CDBG program conforms with the basic characteristics of block grants. The article concludes with several recommendations for revising CDBG that will provide a policy tool better aligned with the new community-building paradigm that has emerged over the past two decades, with its emphasis on collaborative, comprehensive, community-based initiatives.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael J. Rich, 2014. "Community Development Block Grants at 40: Time for a Makeover," Housing Policy Debate, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(1), pages 46-90, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:houspd:v:24:y:2014:i:1:p:46-90
    DOI: 10.1080/10511482.2013.865656
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    1. repec:aei:rpbook:34784 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. John Weicher, 2012. "Housing Policy at a Crossroads: The Why, Who, and How of Assistance Programs," Books, American Enterprise Institute, number 24963, September.
    3. Joseph Gyourko & Edward L. Glaeser, 2008. "Rethinking Federal Housing Policy," Books, American Enterprise Institute, number 50499, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Varady, David P. & Kleinhans, Reinout & van Ham, Maarten, 2015. "Community Entrepreneurship in Deprived Neighbourhoods: Comparing UK Community Enterprises with US Community Development Corporations," IZA Discussion Papers 8777, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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