Symbolism and Economic Development Work: Perceptions of Urban Economic Development Practitioners

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
To elaborate themes suggested by Edelman's model of symbolic politics, data from a national survey of economic development practitioners are examined. In response to the uncertainty of municipal economic development efforts, economic development practitioners claim they undertake formalistic activities and indicate that city leaders encourage symbolic economic development projects. Concerns with formalism and symbolism are most prevalent among those economic development practitioners who work in cities with a larger number of economic problems, those who feel their own task is hard to define, and among those feeling most pressured by local politicians or economic development boards to "do something." Implications of symbolic efforts for the practice of economic development are examined.