Foxconn, General Motors and business tax breaks
First came news about Foxconn not building a 13,000 employee manufacturing plant in Wisconsin. Then the next day came stories that they were going to continue with plans to build the manufacturing facility. Who know what will finally happen. What is clear is that if they build a plant it will not be the one […]
The growing BA household income premium
We continue to be constantly barraged with messages that for many not pursuing a four-year degree is the best course of action. Some version of if you don’t get a BA in a STEM field you are at high risk of being crushed by student loans and unable to realize the American Dream. It’s nonsense! […]
Marco Rubio and restoring the American Dream
In a previous post we quoted Republican United States Senator Marco Rubio on the need for an American economy that provides more middle class jobs. In an article for the Atlantic Rubio entitled America Needs to Restore Dignity of Work, Rubio writes: There was once a path to a stable and prosperous life in America […]
Cosmetology schools and crushing student loans
I’m sure some of you are asking yourself “what does cosmetology schools have to do with crushing student loans?”. The preeminent story––which we are told over and over again by the media and way too many of our business and political leaders––about student loans is that it is students who get four-year degrees in non […]
Warren Evans on attacking poverty
Wayne County Executive Warren Evans’ column for The PuLSE Institute entitled Michigan needs long-term poverty policy is worth reading. Both in its call for making attacking poverty a priority and for taking on the conventional wisdom about the causes of poverty. Evans writes: Misconceptions about poverty and the poor continue to nurture flawed policies. The […]
A strong economy not benefiting far too many Michigan households
Despite warning signs at the end of the year, 2018 was a very good year for the Michigan and the nation’s economy. But the strong economy––characterized by low unemployment and strong growth––was accompanied by 40 percent of Michigan households not able to pay for basic necessities. A majority of whom have a working adult. This […]
What Michigan needs to learn from Amazon HQ2
As we all now know Amazon picked New York City and the northern Virginia inner ring suburbs of Washington D.C. for their HQ2. Both characterized by high concentrations of those with four-year degrees or more and extensive transit systems. As we have written before No talent, no transit, no Amazon. There are three key lessons that […]
Ford and Detroit alarm bells
Recent bond reports from Moody’s on Ford and the city of Detroit should be setting off alarm bells. Both reports paint a picture of the Michigan economy far different that the celebratory tone of most Michigan policy makers and business leaders. (You can find a Detroit Free Press article, entitled Ford investment rating cut to […]
GM needs rock climbing engineers
A recent Detroit Free Press article entitled GM’s job cuts shift to a new kind of worker needed is worth checking out. It is a pretty dramatic example of the reality that––even for those with STEM degrees (in this case engineers)––the foundation skills for all are what we call rock climbing skills, not job-specific skills. The […]
Community colleges need to be redesigned
At least rhetorically––not so much when it comes to funding––there is a lot of support on a bi-partisan basis for community colleges. They are seen as critical to preparing workers for the skilled trades and other mid-skill jobs. Occupations employers claim where there is more demand than supply. To be effective institutions of better matching […]