Here is the bedrock philosophy of the book The 21st Century City, which was written in 1997 by the then-Mayor of Indianapolis:
- People know better than government what is in their best interest
- Monopolies are inefficient, and government monopolies are particularly inefficient
- Wealth needs to be created, not redistributed
- Government should do a few things well
- Cities must not raise taxes or price themselves out of competition with excessive regulations
Some sixteen years later—showing that history does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme—comes a recent publication called “Enterprising Cities: A Force for American Prosperity” and lays out the characteristics of what it sees as the keys for cities to support free enterprise:
- Allow businesses to grow and thrive.
- Free businesses from excessive taxes, unnecessary regulations and onerous local government processes.
- Focus government on the critical tasks that are the foundation of economic opportunity, such as infrastructure and protective services.
- Help educate, cultivate and equip the next generation of young entrepreneurs and the workforce of the future.
The report offers profiles of several cities that are embracing these strategies. Imagine Pittsburgh moving away from the traditional ways of awarding subsidies to favored businesses; or taking the best practices from business and incorporating them into essential service delivery; and really following through on the oft-promised “one-stop-shop” for permits, forms, etc.
