Should Place-Based Jobs Policies Be Used to Help Distressed Communities?

This Upjohn Institute working paper reviews how place-based jobs policies should target distressed areas and focus on firms that have high-multipliers (industries with high job growth potential beyond just the individual firm creating jobs). The analysis also points out how jobs policies should rely less on tax incentives and more on customized public services, such as infrastructure improvements to the distressed area, local education, and job training to serve distressed community residents.