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Empowerment Zones

NPR's Eric Westervelt reports on the so-called empowerment zones that were unveiled...in this incarnation...by the Clinton Administration with big fanfare two years ago. They were touted as a way to use tax credits and social service block grants to revitalize blighted urban areas. Now, some are pointing to Philadelphia, which was one of six sites which qualified for "empowerment zone" money, as an example of how the program has succeeded. But critics say the concept may not be working.

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