Enterprise Zones: Do They Really Work?

Conservatives have said for a decade that inner cities could be rejuvenated the way the character Ray Kinsella drew baseball crowds to his farm in the movie Field of Dreams. The urban solution: Give businesses tax breaks, and they will come.

Now, in the wake of the Los Angeles riots, the "enterprise zones" notion is moving out of right field. Suddenly, much of Washington is working on a plan to sweeten existing, state-sponsored enterprise programs with federal tax breaks. The aim is to create jobs by providing tax relief to businesses that settle in the desolate areas.