An uncontroversial statement in policy circles is that policy decisions should be backed by evidence that they will work. So why doesn’t this happen when it comes to economic policy-making in local government?

This report is a provocation piece in response to this question. It sets out the three ‘pillars’ – incentives, resources, and capacity – that support evidence-based policy-making, and explores why each one falls down when it comes to local economic development.