Sean M. DiGiovanna

expertise: local economic development, science and technology policy, industrial organization, and defense conversion

SEAN DiGIOVANNA, Assistant Research Professor at the Center for Urban Policy Research (CUPR), has worked extensively in the fields of local economic development, science and technology policy, industrial organization, and defense conversion. He has been published in such journals as Regional Studies, Environment and Planning, and Growth and Change. His book (co-authored with Ann Markusen and Yong Sook Lee), Second Tier Cities: Rapid Growth Beyond the Metropolis,will be published this fall by the University of Minnesota Press. Before joining CUPR, Dr. DiGiovanna worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Project on Regional and Industrial Economics (PRIE). He completed his doctorate in geography at the University of Toronto in 1997.

Dr. DiGiovanna's research interests have focused on the relationship between an increasingly global economy and the dynamics of economic change at the local and regional levels. This area of research is becoming more important as national governments are shifting the responsibilities and costs of development to governments at smaller spatial scales. For this reason, he has become increasingly interested in investigating relations of scale as they apply to local economic development.

Dr. DiGiovanna completed three major studies at (PRIE). The first was an ongoing study of defense conversion policy and its implications in a multitude of countries, including the United States, France, Germany, Russia, Canada, China, India, Argentina, Spain, Israel, South Africa, South Korea, and Poland. The results of this research will soon be published in a book co-authored by Dr. DiGiovanna and Professor Ann Markusen. In another project, Dr. DiGiovanna analyzed the regional impact of the closure of Lockheed Martin Astro Space in East Windsor, New Jersey. In addition to being lead author of the final report, he presented the findings at a conference in Bonn, Germany, and served on a community action group formed as a result of the closure. In January 1998, he was awarded a grant and completed a study for the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology that has helped the state agency outline a future strategy to increase the number of technology business incubators in the state.

Since coming to CUPR in July 1999, Dr. DiGiovanna has continued his work on local economic development. Most recently, he has completed a project on industrial retention Jersey City, New Jersey. This project examined the city's industrial structure. In particular, it focused on those aspects of industrial location and retention that will aid in securing high-wage, blue-collar manufacturing and wholesale trade jobs in Jersey City. This study will contribute to the city's decision-making process in regard to the formation and implementation of an industrial retention strategy and the redevelopment of brownfield sites. It is believed that the results of this research will attract a great deal of positive attention, both within and outside of Jersey City.

Dr. DiGiovanna is currently developing a research project on the relationship of scale and economic development in New Jersey. This project will examine issues of scale in the formation and implementation of economic development policy in New Jersey's municipalities. Through a number of case studies, the project will determine the relative importance of local, regional, state, and federal policy and institutions in contributing to local economic development outcomes. The goal of the research is to better understand the extent to which local economic development policy can be effective and to provide useful information to municipalities and community stakeholders in formulating economic development policy. The research will include statistical analysis, program evaluation, interviews, surveys, and archival work. The project results will contribute to debates concerning urban planning, geography, and political economy. Possible case studies include Atlantic City, Camden, Jersey City, Paterson, and Trenton.

Dr. DiGiovanna also has begun work on CUPR's assessment of the Human Capital Development Initiative (HCDI), a program to promote best practices in human capital development in 13 cities. The assessment is sponsored by the National Congress on Community Economic Development (NCCED).

digiovan@rci.rutgers.edu

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~digiovan/