Choosing a Model for Michigan II
As I wrote in my last post, being a low tax and spending state and/or right to work state has little to do with how well a state’s economy performs. But they remain popular “answers” to reviving the Michigan economy. The Grand Rapids Press did a terrific article on Kia coming to Georgia. Their claim […]
Choosing A Model for Michigan
I started a presentation at the West Michigan Policy Forum with a thought experiment. Which of two state economies would you prefer for Michigan? State A per capita income $43,000, unemployment rate of 6.8%, poverty rate of 9.6% or State B per capita income $34,000, unemployment rate of 9.7%, poverty rate of 15.7%? Pretty easy. […]
Detroit Ain’t Dead
Conventional wisdom here and across the planet is that Detroit is hopeless. Not salvageable. Think again! Take a look at this video from the folks at Palladium Boots. The first part is a must see, if you have the time watch all three parts. It will change how you think of the city. After you […]
What You Need to Know About the Economy
Interesting piece in the NY Times by Harvard’s Greg Mankiw. It’s his recommendations to incoming students – and the rest of us – on “what kind of foundation is needed to understand and be prepared for the modern economy?” Pretty interesting list. Not all economics courses. Not surprising he starts with an introduction to economics, the […]
It’s the Neighborhood
Lots of comments on the Andy Basile email I wrote about in my last post. Most quite positive. A few pushed back. Let me lay out my thoughts on why I thought the email was so important and then give my take on some of the push back. At the core Basile – a private sector […]
No Talent, Jobs Go Elsewhere
About a month ago I received an e mail with the title “Why our growing firm may have to leave Michigan” (you can and should read it here). I assumed that it would be about taxes and/or business costs are too high. Boy was I wrong! It is from a law firm that cannot fill […]
Cost of Living?
One of the questions I get most often during my presentations is “what about the cost of living?”. Aren’t most of the high prosperity big metros in the country – where the knowledge economy is increasingly centered – places with very high cost of living? It is true we don’t correct income for cost of living […]
Constantly Changing Economy
At the core of Michigan Future’s work is the belief that globalization and technology are mega forces that are fundamentally changing the economy. That change is now a permanent feature of life. It’s not an adjustment to a new economy that is required but constant adjustments to new realities. The places that understand that and […]
Young Talent Leaving Michigan
A couple of interesting articles about young talent leaving Michigan. Both worth reading. The first from the Spinal Column covering west Oakland County. I’m interviewed, but what is most interesting is the insights of recent college grads on why they stayed or didn’t. Both jobs/careers and place sure seem to matter. The endless debate we […]
The Basics: Education and Infrastructure
When I started working in economic development more than thirty years ago –time does fly when you are having fun – conventional wisdom was that the state’s chief role was education and infrastructure. They were considered the foundation on which the private sector could build a strong economy. Somehow that lesson has been lost over […]