Federal funding and community development: An evaluation of the strategic uses of small cities Community Development Block Grants in Upstate New York

Many small villages and cities throughout rural Upstate New York receive federal funding in the form of Community Development Block Grants (CDBGs). This funding can offer communities opportunities to subsidize local community development through programs for economic development and housing. However, the outcomes are not always positive. Structural changes in the national economy are reflected in the growing gap in income disparities and in the decrease in opportunities for lower income households to obtain quality housing.; Two critical factors are associated with the structural changes. The first factor specifically affects low-income groups negatively and it is related to the neoliberal principal of economic development through private sector subsidies. An example of the problems associated with the conflict between private sector and lower income group interests can be found in urban renewal programs where entire neighborhoods are displaced as a result of program objectives. The second critical factor concerns accountability for program effectiveness—community development programs have been difficult to evaluate due to ambiguous definitions and a lack of specific identifiable outcomes.; The dissertation research offers an empirical test of CDBG program theory, a theory that is integrated within the federal policy and the resulting program guidelines. Using a case study methodology, the dissertation analyzes the issue of evaluating community development programs, and more specifically the problem of ambiguous definitions and the absence of specific identifiable outcomes. Case studies are presented of three Upstate New York municipalities, and in each there is an effort to identify and compare CDBG program definitions and outcomes through methods incorporating demographic and real property data analysis and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). In the final analysis, although the CDBG legislation provides opportunities and directives to target low-income households, programs have primarily benefited higher income groups. In addition, there are indications that the programs also have negatively affected female-headed households with children and others who live in poverty, and have not taken into account the effects of environmental pollution.