California's recent decision to discontinue tax increment fnancing (TIF) after six decades of use has triggered a re-examination of its broader use. TIF typically allows the borrowing of funds for local economic development in a specifed district, to be paid for by taxes collected in the future that are generated by the development. To put the fndings of the previous literature into context and to make them more broadly informative, this paper reviews the empirical research, provides some descriptive national analysis of TIF adoption, and provides policy recommendations informed by the empirical fndings and literature.

This study examines the effect of tax increment financing (TIF) on economic growth in Indiana. TIF areas are designated with the intent of spurring economic development characterized primarily by growth in assessed value and in employment within the TIF area. We examined property-level data from 2004 to 2013 and found that the average property in a TIF area may display higher assessed values than the average property in a similarly situated non-TIF area. While both TIF and non-TIF properties tended to grow over time, the average property in a TIF area may grow by slightly more than its non-TIF counterpart. We also found that TIF does not statistically significantly affect employment or employment growth over time. While there does not appear to be a multiplicative effect of the presence of enterprise zones and TIF on employment, TIF works with property tax abatements in incentivizing job creation. Our analysis of the effect of TIF on economic development outcomes informs policy makers of the likelihood that a given area will adopt TIF in the context of the “but-for” question.

The vast majority of states have implemented some version of enterprise zone (EZ) programs, which geographically target economic development efforts to revitalize distressed areas. While EZs have been studied extensively, there is little evidence that they have succeeded. Despite this, the number of programs, the number of EZs designated, and the land area covered by these zones have grown over time. This essay reviews the research on state EZ programs and explores why it has not had a greater influence on policy. One explanation we discuss is that the research has not been made accessible enough to policy makers and their staffs. Another explanation we posit is that political decision making that guides policy on EZ programs is influenced by many actors and sources of information not just the academic research literature. The essay discusses how the establishment or expansion of EZ programs may be encouraged by EZ businesses and landlords engaging in rent seeking behavior. The essay concludes by providing some recommendations regarding how the research community can make its work more relevant for state and local policy makers and how policy makers can become better consumers of evaluative research when implementing and refining programs.Authors' Note: We thank an anonymous reviewer for suggesting the title. We also thank Don Hirasuna, Susan Hansen, and anonymous reviewers for their constructive suggestions.

This paper examines the tax base elasticity of the regulated casino industry in Illinois to help estimate state-level revenue impacts of casino tax rate changes. Illinois' shift to a graduated rate schedule increased the highest marginal tax rate on casino adjusted gross receipts (AGR) from 20 percent to 70 percent before reverting to a 50 percent rate. We construct a state-level casino tax rate variable, which is a statewide average for each month of the marginal casino tax rate facing each casino. We find that a 1 percent increase in this state-level casino tax rate decreases overall Illinois casino AGR by around 1.1 percent.

This article examines the impact of casino gambling in and around