The good and the bad on higher education
Mixed news to say the least on making higher education a priority in Michigan. In a world where increasingly the most prosperous individuals and communities are characterized by college attainment, how we view our community colleges and universities matters a lot to the future economic success of Michiganders and Michigan. As we have written frequently […]
Big metros: where private sector employers spend most
I want to complete this series of posts on private sector employment earnings (both wages and employer paid benefits) per capita with a look at data by size of metro. In many ways this is the most interesting findings in our latest progress report. First a reminder from the earlier posts. Private sector employers pay […]
Where private sector employers spend the least
My last post looked at the top 10 states for private sector employment earnings (both wages and employer paid benefits) per capita. The component of per capita income that everyone wants and should be the goal of state and local economic development policy. In this post we look at the bottom 10 states on the […]
Where private sector employers spend the most
To their credit both Governor Snyder and Business Leaders for Michigan have set high per capita income as one of the state’s economic goals. Far too many political and business leaders are fine with lots of low paying jobs as the goal. I’m sure each would agree that the key to realizing that goal is […]
the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy
We are proud investors in the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy (JRLA). It is one of seven new open enrollment high schools our Michigan Future Schools initiative has chosen to make grants to from more than 40 applicants over the past three years. In large part because of his celebrity, Rose has generated lots of national […]
2012 Predictions
Surprisingly I have received lots of requests for my annual predictions. So here goes a little late. Our work is focused on the long-term. How Michigan and its citizens can better position themselves to do well economically in a flattening world. I certainly don’t claim any special ability to predict year to year results. If […]
1.0/2.0 politics in a 3.0 economy
The two terrific articles on manufacturing in America I wrote about in my last post dramatically demonstrate how futile it is to try to recreate a mass middle class in a factory-based economy. Those days are gone. Factory work is no longer a source of long-term job growth. Nor of mass middle class jobs. As […]
The reality of factory work in America
Two terrific articles describe the present and future of factory work in America. The first from the New York Times on Apple’s production system. The second a more comprehensive look at American manufacturing from the Atlantic. Both have the same bottom line: employment in American factories is not now or in the future a major […]
Quick updates
Some interesting press coverage of topics I have written about recently. Worth reading. On the topic of welcoming to all (see my pledge of allegiance post) the Governor’s signing of the domestic partner benefit ban was a big step backwards. Two columns – one by Brian Dickerson in the Free Press and other by Tommy […]
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 […]