Accountable Public Investment is a broad category describing the opportunity for policymakers to ensure that public investment results in real returns for the community, including better jobs. Strategies include community-benefit agreements (CBAs) between developers or employers and the community in which a proposed development or business wants to locate. Such agreements ensure an open process for utilizing public resources and considering benefits for all sectors of the community. The benefits negotiated as part of a CBA can include hiring from a specific geographic area for development and permanent jobs, allowing workers to negotiate and organize, paying a living wage, providing health coverage, and creating jobs with advancement opportunities. In addition, some workforce development agencies are negotiating for better job quality in exchange for providing employer-designed training opportunities.

Resources

County of San Diego Board of Supervisors Policy M-61
This lays out San Diego city policy on workforce development. It includes seven areas of policy recommended to foster public/private partnerships that are responsive to the employers’ needs, including the need for a viable workforce.

Responsible Development and Community Benefits Agreements: A Cleveland Case Study (May 2007)
by Kelly Kupcak, Hard Hatted Women
This powerpoint presentation by Hard Hatted Women makes the case for responsible development and community benefits agreements by defining each and using Cleveland as a success story. It was presented at The Mobility Agenda’s Ohio Roundtable on May 14, 2007.

A Tale of Two Cities: Organizing for Community Benefits (April 2007)
by Bill Bradburd, Puget Sound SAGE
This presentation from The Mobility Agenda’s April 26 Seattle Roundtable explains the impact of accountable development in Metro Seattle and the challenges of Dearborn Street.

Subsidized Housing and Employment: Building Evidence about What Works to Improve Self-Sufficiency (March 2007)
by James A. Riccio, MDRC
The Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act (QHWRA) of 1998 held residents’ self-sufficiency as a core objective. This study of housing assistance and its effects on employment and self-sufficiency calls for more research on the effectiveness of such programs.

Brennan Center for Justice Memorandum to Chicago City Council
by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law
This memorandum examines the implications of the recent ruling in the Maryland health benefits law case, Retail Industry Leaders Ass’n v. Fielder (D. Md. July 19, 2006), for the proposed Chicago retail living wage ordinance. Specifically, it addresses whether ERISA (the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act) would pose any obstacles for the proposed living wage ordinance.

Building a Pipeline to Success: A Look Inside the Making Connections Louisville Career Development Initiative
by The Diarist Project, The Annie E. Casey Foundation
This booklet provides an in-depth look at the obstacles and successes of the Making Connections Louisville Career Development Initiative. The initiative provides interview and career counseling to prepare Louisville residents to apply for a job with Norton Healthcare and other area employers.

The Gates-Cherokee Redevelopment Project: A huge step forward for low-income people in Denver
by Tory Read, The Diarist Project, The Annie E. Casey Foundation.
The Gates-Cherokee Redevelopment Project has provided affordable housing, and created thousands of jobs, giving preference to local residents in Making Connections Denver with the redevelopment of the Gates Rubber Company manufacturing plant.

Accountable Public Investment in the News 

In Chicago, New Pay Law is Considered for Big Stores (5/28/2006)
by Gretchen Ruethling, The New York Times
This article describes the controversy over a minimum pay law under debate in Chicago for large retailers like Wal-Mart. Those opposed include business leaders and community leaders who fear such a measure will steer business away from poorer neighborhoods.

The Big Box Debate: Good Jobs or Bad Jobs? (Spring 2006)
by Industry Insider, Chicago Jobs Council
The second article in this newsletter explains the Chicago Big Box Living Wage Ordinance and arguments made by the bill’s proponents and the opposition. It also goes into more detail about the relationship between Chicago unions and Wal-Mart in a greater debate about the quality of work.