Are they Surgeons? or are they Plumbers? Assessing the Role of Private Sector Consultants in Place Branding and Other Place-Based Economic Development Strategies

Evan Cleave, Godwin Arku () and Merlin Chatwin
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Evan Cleave: The University of Western Ontario
Godwin Arku: The University of Western Ontario
Merlin Chatwin: The University of Western Ontario

Public Organization Review, 2019, vol. 19, issue 2, No 3, 179-200

Abstract: Abstract This study takes an in-depth look at the roles and utility of consultants in local economic development, focusing on whether there is ultimately a need for this outsourcing of policymaking. Through a series of in-depth interviews with municipal officials and consultants from Ontario, focus is specifically on place branding, a subfield of place-based local economic development. The findings indicate that while the consultants and local officials view themselves as vital in the policy development process, the use of consultants for most communities is actually problematic, as they generally lack the in-depth local knowledge needed for successful place branding.

Keywords: Place branding; Place-based economic development; Consultants; Local government; Policy development; Ontario (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11115-017-0396-0

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