City Limits in a Postrecessionary World: Explaining the Pursuit of Developmental Policies after the Great Recession

This article explores the changing landscape of local economic development in the United States from a period of stability (1999) to a period of recessionary pressures (2009). This research finds support for one of the key components of the city limits thesis: competition drives developmental policy use. Additional notable findings include a declining role for private business in the economic development process, a mixed relationship between policy adoption and resident's level of need for economic development, and an emphasis on higher visibility policies during recessionary periods.