While there have been other books on Wal-Mart, none has provided scholarly economic analysis of the impact of this retail giant. "The Local Economic Impact of Wal-Mart" offers significant empirical evidence which highlights important questions.

Hicks (economics, Graduate School of Engineering and Management, Air Force Institute of Technology) supplements a critical review of over 200 studies on the local economic impact of the chain big-box store Wal-Mart with his own empirical statistical analysis findings. Following a discussion of the history of the rise of the big-box store and an introduction to Wal-Mart's current market penetration, he discusses Wal-Mart's impact on labor markets, the markets for goods and services, and the aggregate local economy. He then explores the impact of Wal-Mart stores on local tax revenues and expenditures and on antipoverty and health care programs. He also address social impacts, including factors such as sprawl, union participation rates, poverty, income inequality, and local philanthropy. Finally he reviews the legal environment within which Wal-Mart operates and evaluates the political economy of anti-Wal-Mart legislation. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)