Author(s)

C. Preble

Abstract

Politicians often claim that the closure of military facilities will do irreparable harm to local economies. Such predictions can be refuted by empirical data, and by studying actual cases of defence conversion in the United States. This paper considers the economic impact of the closure, and subsequent redevelopment efforts, of three facilities: Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin, Texas; DuPont’s Eleutherian Mills in Wilmington, Delaware; and the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York. It is reasonable to infer from this research, when combined with aggregate empirical data, that defence conversion often generates greater economic activity than prevailed before the closures.

Keywords

defence economics, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Bergstrom Air Force Base, Eleutherian Mills, Hagley, DuPont