Initiative for Development Accountability

A New Kind of Economic Development

The NY Initiative for Development Accountability seeks to enact reforms that will ensure business standards, accountability, and transparency in the economic development process.

Here are our policy recommendations for better, more accountable economic development at New York’s Industrial Development Agencies:

IDA BUSINESS STANDARDS.

  • Prevailing & Living Wages to provide self-sufficiency and economic mobility for workers.
  • Regional hiring requirements and apprenticeship programs to ensure that development creates jobs and training opportunities for local workers.
  • High-performance building and environmental standards to prevent sprawl and encourage smart and sustainable regional growth.

IDA ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES.

  • Subsidy recapture mechanisms or "clawbacks" to provide a money-back guarantee against companies that default on their contract commitments.
  • Designated IDA Board Representation to ensure that a broad range of stakeholder interests are included in decision-making.
  • Anti-Raiding Measures to prevent IDAs from engaging in unhealthy competition that results in job shifting from region to region rather than real competition.

TRANSPARENCY REFORMS.

  • Community Impact reports that disclose the potential impacts caused by IDA developments and the proposed mitigation measures.
  • Increased monitoring of IDAs through improved reporting by IDAs and their projects on activities, performance, and commitments.
  • Publicized and accessible hearings to allow for meaningful input by local stakeholders on the impacts, costs, and benefits of IDA projects.