Let the marketplace set higher education prices
Economics 101: The marketplace sets prices that balance the interests of those buying and selling a product; price controls don’t work; consumers are rational. Seems like our politicians and the media either didn’t take or forgot Economics 101 when it comes to public higher education. State policy makers have moved from a bad idea, jawboning […]
Progress on public investments?
Finally some good news on the public investment front. As you know, our research has led us to believe that public investments in preparing, retaining and attracting talent are the key to positioning Michigan and its citizens for prosperity in a flattening world. What has been so frustrating for years is that business and political […]
Lessons to learn: President Clinton
Former President Clinton has written a new book: Back to Work: Why We Need a Smart Government for a Strong Economy. Worth reading. The book basically covers two topics. His policy agenda for how the federal government should both get the economy growing again and deal with its structural deficit. And the case for why active […]
Politics vs. economics again
After the 2010 election I wrote two posts on how disconnected our politics are from the new economic realities of a flattening world. (You can find those posts here and here.) In an insightful column New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman writes the same disconnect occurred during the Iowa caucus campaign. In a column entitled […]
Lessons to learn: California billonaires
A recent LA Times story is headlined “California billionaires plan to put big tax hike on the ballot.” You read that right: private sector leaders pushing for a tax increase! What do they want to do with the increased funds? Invest in education and local government. Why more funding for education – both k-12 and […]
Lessons to learn: Mayor Bloomberg
Happy New Year! I want to start the year by writing about those who provide lessons and/or ideas on the agenda that can allow us to move towards Governor Snyder’s goal of a Michigan 3.0. Seems like I spend a lot of time in these posts criticizing what Michigan is doing. Rather than complaining, I […]
Michigan: big government working
Michigan and the domestic auto industry – the two are still inextricably linked – are now deservedly receiving national recognition for their comeback from a decade of decline. No longer worse in the nation, now a symbol of hope in what is still a bad national economy. What is not included in most of those […]
Dumb on transit again
It goes from bad to worse when it comes to transit in metro Detroit. First the city and state walking away from the Woodward light rail, now the city of Troy refusing to take federal funds for a transit center. What makes Troy worse is that the vote is only partially about not valuing transit, […]
For economic growth: M1
The news that the city and state have walked away from the Woodward light rail (M1) is not a good way to end the year. Big mistake! M1 – and not a bus rapid transit system which is now the preferred alternative – is the most powerful potential long-term game changer for Detroit. For a […]
Manhattan
Travelled to Manhattan over the Thanksgiving holiday. Wow! I’m always amazed at its vibrancy and prosperity. And then I come back to Michigan and get reengaged in the public conversation about our economy. A greater disconnect is hard to imagine. Here the dominant narrative about the economy is that everything that makes Manhattan a powerful […]