Abstract
Rhode Island has not shared equally in New England's economic resurgence of recent years. A major reevaluation of the state's economic malaise in 1982-84 resulted in a $250 million program called the Greenhouse Compact to improve business in the state. Initially supported in polls by a two-to-one margin, the Compact was defeated overwhelmingly when it went to a statewide referendum. The timing of the referendum and mistakes in the public relations strategy and in the structure of the Compact all played a role in the outcome, but post-election polls showed that defeat, based on a massive shift of undecided voters, ultimately revolved around a lack of trust in government and in the state's leadership. Rhode Islanders made an understandable choice which unfortunately led to the loss of a great opportunity for the state.
Recommended Citation
Magaziner, Ira
(1986)
"Rhode Island: The Defeat of the Greenhouse Compact,"
New England Journal of Public Policy: Vol. 2:
Iss.
1, Article 6.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/nejpp/vol2/iss1/6