We are pleased to collaborate on this November issue of Public Management (PM) magazine. The idea of an entire issue focused solely on economic development came following an article the two of us wrote for the November 2013 issue titled “Confidentiality and Complexity: Unlocking the Subplots of Economic Development.”

Following that article’s publication, we received positive comments from various audiences, and here is a quick summary of readers’ thoughts on the article’s relevance:

• Valued the discussion of economic development in a management publication due to it being a critically important activity in a manager’s responsibilities.
• Appreciated attention given to the manager’s direct influence in economic development activities through the relationship with elected policy-making boards who often control the public investment for projects.
• Understood the nexus of public-private investment and those activities and tools that can lead to enhanced economic development in a local community.

Involving city and county managers in the economic development process is an increasingly important decision for local jurisdictions. If the jurisdiction is a small town or county, the manager might be solely responsible for the economic development activity.

If the jurisdiction is an urban area of some size, the manager often plays an important role in supporting and moving along development projects. Regardless of jurisdictional size, without the knowledge of and the understanding by the manager, a development project can be sorely hampered.

It is for these reasons that we focused an entire edition on economic development. And it is also for these reasons that we have attempted to include articles describing economic development activity in various-sized jurisdictions and projects.

The articles in this issue touch upon a wide range of specific economic development topics that will hopefully prove interesting and insightful. A goal was to demonstrate the changing nature of economic development activity and the increased relevance to the local government management profession.

It is clear to us that additional economic development topics could have been featured in this issue, including incentive policies, existing industry programs, and workforce development. The economic development topic is incredibly diverse. We suspect, however, that the articles in this issue will provide the foundation for considerable future discussion.