Evaluation of the U.S. Economic Development Administration's Public WorksProgram: Analysis and Findings

摘要

This evaluation assesses the full range of economic impacts of the U.S. EconomicDevelopment Administration's (EDA's) Public Works Program and identifies the factors that influence the economic performance of public works projects. The evaluation used three phases of data collection: (1) assembly of a comprehensive data set from EDA files, (2) a telephone survey, and (3) field case studies. Major findings of the evaluation included the following: (1) many projects have achieved EDA's policy objective of assisting distressed communities, (2) projects are long-term, requiring at least a 20-year period to measure benefits, (3) projects providing basic infrastructure for wide areas and diverse users have greater long-term benefits, and (4) local institutional capacity is often the most important factor in project success.