Areas Left Behind Need the Right Kind of Help
The Biden administration is emphasizing “place-based” policies. Done well, they make sense — but they aren’t enough.
Now what?
Photographer: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
One of the main themes of President Joe Biden’s approach to economic policy is “place-based” programs — bundles of measures to promote jobs and growth in distressed areas. Through a series of laws passed in 2021 and 2022, his administration has embarked on a remarkably ambitious effort, aiming to spend some $80 billion on this approach.
The president is right that a focus on helping communities most in need is overdue. Carefully executed, such an effort could provide good value for public money. But success depends on more than well-chosen investments, and directly creating good jobs in target locations isn’t enough. Policymakers also need to help workers navigate a rapidly changing labor market by supporting them in building skills, switching jobs and moving to areas of greater demand.