Plainly: when a project or program promises benefits, ask who gets them, who pays, and what actually reaches affected people.
Scope
What belongs here
Jobs and Local Benefit
Job promises, hiring numbers, permanent versus temporary work, training access, local contracting, and whether benefits reach affected communities.
Grants and Services
Program money, grant awards, service distribution, eligibility, access barriers, reporting, and whether services match community need.
Taxes, Rates, and Public Cost
Tax breaks, utility-rate impacts, ratepayer protection, infrastructure upgrades, public subsidies, and who carries costs over time.
Burden Shift
When outside actors receive the benefit while local communities carry water, land, grid, traffic, health, cultural, or emergency-response burdens.
Connected Reports
Current examples
Economic Questions
What to ask
- What benefit is being promised?
- Who receives the benefit, and who bears the cost?
- Are jobs temporary construction jobs or durable local jobs?
- Are tax breaks, subsidies, or ratepayer costs involved?
- What public documents support the claim?
- What would show that the benefit actually reached affected communities?
Current Items