Economic Development on the Ground: Rural Development and the Distribution Economy

This thesis examines the practice of economic development in the South Carolina at the county and regional level. Looking at the Interstate 95 corridor, this research examines economic development organizations in practice, using in-depth interviews with actors operating at different spatial scales. Specifically, I highlight the current ideology of development as it relates to the proliferation of warehousing and distribution in the state. I outline the ideologies of economic development professionals, including their spatial strategies and perceptions of ‘community’ as it relates to economic development goals. My research demonstrates the extent to which rural areas have been left without the necessary power in the state government. Regional coalitions within South Carolina are unevenly deployed, representing a negotiating body for larger counties, and little more than a marketing agency for more rural counties. I also find that coordination between utility providers, economic development agents, local landowners, and firms is the most crucial part of the work of economic development. As the state has historically had a major role in state-wide firm adoption efforts, much of the relationships that lead to coordination are relegated to the state or regional scale. In addition, I show that the South Carolina Ports Authority has an outsized role in negotiating major projects within the state as advanced manufacturing and distribution become the largest drivers of economic development. Where these two operations develop are spatially uneven, with major distribution activities tending to open close to port infrastructure. Within the study area, exurban counties imagine a future with large distributors bringing jobs and tax revenue, but I argue that this is a similar process to the ‘dirty industries’ that led to South Carolina’s largest period of growth in the mid-20th century.