Morgan Stanley on achieving inclusive growth

Really interesting recommendations from Morgan Stanley and the Low Income Investment Fund on “investing in cities for inclusive growth”. Interesting because: A major financial services company is proposing inclusive growth as a national priority and worthy of both public and private investments. They embrace integration as the central strategy citing the work of the Equality of  […]

Distinguishing between high and low quality charter schools

As I feel a need to do every time I write about charter schools, Michigan Future is a long time supporter of charters and more broadly education choice. Still are. But we have been disappointed in the results of charters (choice too) in Michigan––particularly in our central cities. Its in urban areas where breakthrough charters […]

It’s not the time for happy talk about Michigan’s economy

I did a post after the Michigan presidential primary about how the results sent a clear message that Michigan was not back. Which is the story we have been told over and over by our political and business leaders for the past six years. That post is obviously as relevant––if not more so––after the general […]

Books to understand today’s economy

We are going to feature more in these posts and our newsletter (sign up here) recommended readings that have helped us understand constantly changing economic realities, the skills that are required to do well in the context of those realities and what we as individuals, families and communities can do to succeed in that context. […]

Men not adjusting to economic realities

As we recently explored the decline in 25-54 year old males labor force participation is a growing and serious problem. An excellent report from the President’s Council of Economic Advisors provides an overview of the challenge. That report shows that the decline started a half century ago. That it is occurring at all ages. That it […]

Kansas’ failed tax cut experiment

Amazing Bloomberg column entitled Kansas Ends Bad Economic News by Not Reporting It. Its written by Barry Ritholtz, founder of Ritholtz Wealth Management and formerly chief executive and director of equity research at FusionIQ, a quantitative research firm. Turns out that Kansas has canceled its quarterly reports on the state’s economy. Why? As Ritholtz reports: “The problem was […]

Kasich on economic realities

In an Business Insider interview Ohio Governor Johh Kasich did something almost no politician does today. He clearly states that we can’t go back to a factory-driven economy. Business Insiders writes: But the notion that states such as Ohio are dependent on manufacturing jobs returning is one with which he vehemently disagrees. “Manufacturing is still […]

Lessons from the ITT Tech collapse

CEO of the Michigan Association of State Universities Daniel Hurley’s blog The Closure of ITT Tech and the Crash-Landing of the For-Profit College Industry is worth checking out. It provides a good overview of what led to the closing and more broadly the systemic problems of for-profit colleges, particularly those which focus on occupation training in […]

Talent, not low taxes, delivers prosperity

Terrific Inc. column by University of Michigan Ross Business School professor Jeff DeGraff entitled It’s the Talent Stupid. DeGraff makes the case that low tax states and regions do not have the best economies. Rather it is those who have the best talent. We are now living in an economy where talent is the asset that […]

Cars as a service

One of the new realities is that we are now a service-providing rather than a goods-producing dominant economy. And that high-paying work is now knowledge-based rather than factory-based. These are realities that politics/policy can’t change. Those individuals and communities that align with, rather than resist, will do best. Lyft co-founder John Zimmer in his Third […]