Michigan in the bottom ten

No matter who wins next week’s elections for Governor and the state legislature those elected will be taking over a state economy that is a national laggard. The best evidence of that reality comes from the recent release by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis of 2013 state per capita income data. They report that […]

New York City thriving

For nearly all of my getting close to forty year career I have heard about the imminent collapse of New York City. Those predictions were largely based on the twin beliefs that cities were part of the past (no longer competitive with the suburbs for middle class and affluent households) and low cost/small government places […]

Talent attraction in Oklahoma City

As we explored in our last post young professionals are concentrating in record numbers in vibrant central cities. Across the country––in red and blue states––state, regional, and city leaders understanding that where talent concentrates economic growth will follow, have made public investments in creating the kind of places that retain and attract recent college graduates […]

Central cities as talent magnets

What continues to worry me most about the future of Michigan is that our definition of what success looks like is grounded in the past. That we have not yet learned the lesson that what made us prosperous in the past, won’t in the future. A continuing vision of a factory-driven economy along with farming […]

Economic well being by education attainment

The evidence continues to pour in that those with a four-year degree or more have the highest incomes and wages. Not that a four-year degree guarantees you either a job or high wages and income, but that it is for, all but the top entertainers, athletes and entrepreneurs, the most reliable path to the middle […]

Lets hope this isn’t “back”: kids

Michigan is not a state that attracts many young adults to live and work here. Its a problem we need to address. But unless and until we do, the future prosperity of the state is very dependent on the kids who grow up here. So how well children growing up in Michigan are faring is […]