Implementing State Government Export Programs

(Hardback)

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During recent years, American states have launched programmes to promote direct foreign investment and product export, but there has been little self-scrutiny of these efforts. This book presents the findings of Michael Frazier's detailed empirical study of four, state-supported export trade agencies. Using the evaluation techniques of Mazmanian and Sabatier (the M-S model), Frazier pinpoints the factors that determine how well states develop an international business orientation. He also expands the M-S model by identifying additional variables that should be considered in future programme evaluations. This book provides a survey of the literature on implementation research, and argues in favour of both theoretical and empirical evaluation. Using the M-S model for export trade agency evaluation, Frazier examines the public export trade agencies of four states: Arkansas, Indiana, Michigan, and Virginia. He concludes that four factors - geographic location, state politics, economic interdependence, and federal government involvement - heavily influence a state's level of success. The political leadership of the agency director and his supervisors, including the governor, is especially crucial. This is a useful handbook for legislators, policymakers, administrators, and students of programme evaluation.

Reviews

Professor Michael Frazier has written a thoughtful and significant contribution to the literature dealing with issues surrounding the evaluation of government export development programs. Such a work is particularly timely in the context of an international economy which is increasingly interdependent, and in which export promotion has been targeted by most nations as a central policy tool for promoting economic growth.-Publius
"Professor Michael Frazier has written a thoughtful and significant contribution to the literature dealing with issues surrounding the evaluation of government export development programs. Such a work is particularly timely in the context of an international economy which is increasingly interdependent, and in which export promotion has been targeted by most nations as a central policy tool for promoting economic growth."-Publius

Author Bio

MICHAEL FRAZIER is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Howard University. He has taught at three universities: Howard, Maryland, and Cincinnati. Dr. Frazier has also done consultant work for Proctor & Gamble Company, Georgetown University Law Center, the National Center for Economic Alternatives, and the U.S. Agency for International Development.