Secret government research labs still make local economies boom

New research shows that building a government research lab makes the local economy grow, even if the work done there is secret. This means cities and regions can expect economic benefits from public research investments, regardless of how classified the work is.

For decades, people debated whether public research investments truly paid off for local communities, especially if the research was classified. This paper provides strong evidence that they do, boosting everything from patents to wages and education. It means governments can justify large-scale public science projects not just for national goals, but also for direct, measurable local economic development.