2017 THEME

“MUNICIPAL TRANSOFRMATION AND ECONOMIC EQUALITY”

* * *  Call For Papers  * * *

community gardens
Photo Credit: Alex Rud, New York Daily News

March 28, 2017, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

In an age of fiscal austerity, what strategies are available to local municipalities to develop a strong economic base? How do municipal policymakers ensure that policies are equitable? How can municipalities make use of vacant land and deteriorating infrastructure to promote economic development?

This year’s conference aims to address these questions through four focus areas:

  1. Private financing strategies
    For decades, attracting outside business has been the de facto strategy for developing local economies in distressed cities. How well do these policies work, and how can they be re-designed to work better for community residents?  
  1. Public financing strategies
    What options are available to municipalities to spur economic development with public finance? How have tax policies (i.e., tax-increment financing, tax abatements) impacted local economic development? What new models exist for using public expenditures to spur equitable local economic development?
  1. Residential Benefits & Equitable Distribution
    How can municipalities ensure that their strategies for economic development are equitable for current residents and that they do not cause significant displacement?
  1. Land use & Infrastructure Improvements in Distressed Cities
    How can municipalities finance infrastructure improvements that spur economic development? What are some creative ways of implementing and financing new trends in local economic development, such as micro-grids and neighborhood energy utilities?

We encourage empirically-grounded work employing a range of methodologies—from case study analysis, to historical institutional approaches and statistical modeling – and seek participation from students in graduate programs in urban studies, public policy, planning, political science and related fields.  Accepted papers will be grouped into four panels, with an invited faculty discussant from Rutgers University and other prominent research universities in our region. We are planning for a dynamic keynote speaker, and encourage controversial findings and stimulating debate.  Please submit an abstract of 300 words or less to gsconference.camden.rutgers.edu/submissions/. Full papers are due March 20, 2017.

Deadline for Proposal Abstracts: February 20, 2017