California vs Indiana
In my last post we explored how is it that Time magazine could do a cover story on California’s bright future economic prospects despite a dysfunctional state government and business unfriendly policies. The stuff that conventional wisdom believes is vital to a state’s economy. Lets look at a state that many in Michigan think get […]
California Ascendant?
Time Magazine recently published a thought provoking cover story on California. Its worth reading, thinking about and debating. Because if its right – as I believe it is – most everything we think drives state economic growth is wrong. The article argues that California is and will be in the future a leader in economic […]
Texas Research Universities Initiative
Little noticed in yesterday’s election was the adoption, by a 55%-45% margin, of a $500 million fund to create more Tier One research universities in Texas. It was supported by both parties – including a very conservative Governor. Their goal is to have as many top notch research universities as other big population states like […]
How Do We Grow?
A couple of recent news articles struck me as representing where the Michigan is now and how we might turn it around. The first is from Brian O’Connor at the Detroit News on how Michigan is in for another decade of slow growth at best. It quotes some of the best economists on the Michigan […]
High School Accelerator
Nice editorial in today’s Detroit News about a new high school initiative we are about to launch. We have been calling it a metro Detroit high school accelerator. Its mission is to create over the next eight years thirty five new small high quality high schools in Detroit and its inner ring suburbs. The first […]
dbusiness Article Update
The folks at dbusiness gave me a great opportunity to do a long essay on our prescription for improving the Michigan economy. You can read it here. The article went to print before the new 2008 state data came out on both per capita income and college education attainment. So here are the latest data. […]
The Importance of Four-Year Degrees
A recent comment from Jeffery questioned the value of four-year degrees for all. This is a frequent question I get in my presentations. So I thought it worth doing a blog, rather than just responding to the comment. Since we are interested in how to rebuild a high prosperity Michigan, our focus is on what […]
Public Investments, Part III
So if the prestigious Milliken/Blanchard panel laid out a framework for state policy makers on tax and spending policies that will help grow the Michigan economy, why have their recommendations been ignored? I think there are three main reasons: 1. As we have learned the last several years both raising taxes and cutting spending are […]
Public Investments, Part II
So if public investments are the key to better position Michigan to prosper in a knowledge-based economy what should policy makers do? The framework for action was spelled out by the Milliken/Blanchard panel in 2007. A group of bi partisan heavyweights convened by Governor Granholm. They wrote a terrific report which the Governor and the […]
Public Investments are the Priority
Just back from a week in beautiful – but rainy – northern Michigan. As I was leaving I circulated a terrific column by Rick Haglund (read it here). It once again provides evidence that lower taxes is not a path to economic success. Quite surprising it reports that the Tax Foundation – a conservative think […]