Chasing Smokestacks in the Dark: The Amazon HQ2 Quest Revives Debate Over Economic Development Secrecy

Chasing Smokestacks in the Dark: The Amazon HQ2 Quest Revives Debate Over Economic Development Secrecy

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The 2017 competition for Amazon’s second headquarters, which drew more than 200 applications, is a prime example of how states and localities are Glass Markers attempting to keep confidential information about tax benefits and other deals with private companies.While Amazon’s competition may be a more dramatic example, states and localities regularly craft deals with private companies.Hundreds of deals—with tax breaks, Ball - Shoes Turf - Mens offers of public property, and other sweeteners—are proposed annually to attract companies that promise to bolster the local economy with new jobs and spin-off industries.This paper, utilizing legal analysis and interviews, explores the pattern of confidentiality in economic development deals nationwide, providing recommendations for balancing secrecy and transparency.