Land form and sediment relationships show that this retreat was characterized by an ice margin that pivoted clockwise to the northwest during final deglaciation. Thus, deglaciation of the massive, extensive, and chronologically important Port Huron moraines in this part of Michigan was different and far more complicated than previously interpreted. St. Paul, MN This article reviews, summarizes and critiques the existing literature on agglomeration and firm location decisions. The strengths and weaknesses of agglomeration economies as an explanation of current settlement trends are discussed. The article covers methods of measuring agglomeration economies, including surveys, indices, production function models, and simulations.
Most studies conclude that agglomerative forces are strong.
There is a need to refocus research on the issue of whether current subsidies provided to firms moving to the urban fringe are needed, and how the benefits of agglomeration are distributed. This article analyzes the conceptual basis for industry targeting as a local economic development strategy. Economic development practitioners and state and local policy-makers have aggressively employed industry targeting techniques to provide a focus for their economic development programs. While these practices appear deceptively simple and attractive on the surface as local economic development policies, they introduce several complex questions about the appropriate role of government in industrial location, investment, and competitiveness decisions, which economic developers and policy-makers should be better prepared to answer. In general, the author is skeptical about the overall value of these practices, but urges future empirical research on the impact of industry targeting activities on industries and local economies.