Economic development has become a prominent issue for state governments. Nevertheless, states vary in the economic policies they choose. Two general approaches to the issue are discussed: the maintenance/attraction strategy and the creation strategy. Factor analysis allows us to gauge state effort on these two criteria. Regression analysis shows that political culture is an important factor in predicting which approach a state chooses, with traditionalistic states favoring the maintenance/attraction strategy, and moralistic states favoring the creation alternative. Other predictors of state policy choices include the condition of the economy and the diffusion of innovations. Also discussed is the interaction of political culture with other relevant variables in shaping state policies.
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Keith Boeckelman (1991) studied this question.