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Frequently Asked
Questions About IEDC
What is economic development?
IEDC defines the term as a
program,
group of policies, or activity that seeks to improve the economic
well-being and
quality of life for a community, by creating and/or retaining
jobs that facilitate growth and provide a stable tax base.
What is IEDC?
IEDC is the world’s largest professional
organization for economic development practitioners. We have more than 4,500
members across the United States, as well as Canada, Europe, Australia, New
Zealand, and other nations.
What is IEDC’s purpose?
IEDC works to help economic developers
do their jobs more effectively, and to raise the profile of the profession. If
we succeed, our members create more high-quality jobs, develop more vibrant
communities, and generally improve the quality of life in their regions. To that
end, we provide information on trends and best practices, networking
opportunities, professional development courses and numerous other services.
Who are IEDC’s members?
Our members are the people who:
- Work to persuade new businesses to locate in your community, region or state
- Try to help the businesses that are already in your community to continue
growing there
- Who look for ways to turn distressed areas into vibrant hubs of economic
activity
Some IEDC members work in major cities, while others work in remote, rural
areas. Some work for public agencies, while others work for chambers of
commerce, private nonprofit organizations, public/private partnerships or for
universities. Some work with private-sector consulting firms, and some are sole
practitioners working in the field. Name a type of economic development project,
and some IEDC member has worked on it. In short, our members represent the
entire range of economic development experience.
Does IEDC lobby?
IEDC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
As such, we are prohibited from lobbying except under limited circumstances, and
from endorsing political candidates. Even without such restrictions, we’d still
be nonpartisan, because our members’ political opinions are as varied as their
work and life experiences are.
We do generate papers on specific economic development-related topics, and
have provided testimony at government hearings on the value of various economic
development programs and policies. We also publish annual reports about federal
spending on economic development projects and offer alerts to members about
pending legislation or regulatory changes that could affect their work.
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