The author examines how local governments make decisions about economic development, focusing specifically on the decision to locate a General Motors truck plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in August 1984. The processes used to make that policy choice included secret negotiations between private and public elites, cost-benefit analyses, and public hearings. The advantages and disadvantages of using these three approaches to make policy choices are discussed, and how they actually operated in the case under review is evaluated. Finally, the efficacy of these approaches for effective and accountable policymaking is assessed.
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