2011 Predictions
The folks at MiBiz.com were kind enough to ask me again to be one of their guest columnists on what we see happening in 2011. They got quite a distinguished group of Michiganians to write columns. Worth checking out. Below is the column I wrote. It’s central theme – the choice we make between Michigan […]
State Tax Realities
Jeff Guilfoyle, the terrific President of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, recently did a presentation to our Leadership Council on Michigan’s state and local tax system. I highly recommend taking a look at in detail. The presentation lays out today’s realities and the options for raising revenue. We asked Jeff for the later. CRC […]
Talent Matters Most Again
Important and unexpected article from Crain’s Detroit Business on Michigan’s shortage of automotive engineers. That’s right, shortage! Conventional wisdom is that we have a big competitive advantage in engineers. The story is we have a surplus, the country has a shortage. Apparently not. Or at least not in engineers with skills in electric vehicles engineering. Supposedly […]
the Education Multiplier
Terrific blog by Harvard’s Edward Glaeser in the NY Times on the power of education attainment for regional economies. Worth reading! He finds that today those without college degrees have lower unemployment rates in regions with high college attainment than those without college degrees in regions with low college attainment. So college attainment not only […]
The Trends That Matter
We have been writing for years about two dominant trends in the economy. The first – and the most important – is that the knowledge-based sectors of the economy now account for almost all the job growth and most of the good paying jobs in the American economy. The knowledge-based economy accounts for 80% of […]
A Quality of Place Agenda
Governor-elect Snyder was right on when he wrote in his ten point plan that “many of Michigan’s youth are looking for an appealing metropolitan community – and many are moving out of state to find it”. As is the plan’s list of place attributes that are needed to compete for mobile young talent: safe/walkable urban […]
Not MEDC
We are likely to hear in the coming weeks that restoring the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to its pre Granholm incarnation is a key to the state’s economic turnaround. Don’t believe it! In the 30 months prior to Granholm’s election – when the MEDC supposedly was one of the nation’s best economic development agencies […]