OLBERDING, Julie Cencula <br/><br/>
Toward evaluating the effectiveness of regional partnerships of economic development in US metropolitan areas 

 - Philadelphia :  Routledge,  April 2009 
<br/><br/> During the past few decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of regional partnerships in the United States to enhance economic development across local government jurisdictions. This trend has been mirrored by an increase in regional organizations in Europe, Asia and South America to enhance economic development, usually across national boundries. While the literature has examined the formation, structure and activities of regional partnerships for economic developement in the United States, this is the first study that attempts to measure their effectiveness across a large number of geographical areas using quantitative methods. The findings provide some evidence of their effectiveness in that there is a positive and significant relationship between regional partenerships and employment; the relationship between regional partnerships and income is positice but insignificant. This study may be informative in the further svudy of regional economic development organizations in other countries as well as regional partnerships and organizations in other policy arenas.