State Budget Part II
I had a chance a few weeks ago to lay out for the State Board of Education how I would deal with the state’s long term structural budget deficit. Here is the agenda I presented: 1. Restructuring the Michigan tax system so that it produces adequate revenue now and, most importantly, grows with the Michigan […]
A Budget to Grow the Michigan Economy
Balancing the state’s budget in an era of substantial, structural revenue decline is difficult. The bottom line, is getting poorer is hard. You have to give up a lot that we have enjoyed for years. But when you go from eighteenth in per capita income to thirty seventh (and going lower) in eight years, there […]
Duderstadt in Crain’s
Read this! Its Jim Duderstadt”s (the former U of M President) recent interview in Crain’s Detroit Business. Its terrific. As always Jim is direct, no holding back. Boy do we need more of that here! His basic message: the knowledge-based economy is the only path back to economic success in Michigan. We need to give […]
Foundations Leading
Nice feature in Dome Magazine on the role Michigan foundations are playing in k-12 reform. In a period of big cutbacks in public funding, philanthropy has become the most significant catalyst for innovation. Too many school districts and charter schools have responded to the pressures of less resources and higher student achievement standards by going […]
Troubling ACT News
The folks who run the ACT college entrance exam have just released a troubling report on how well prepared America’s high school students are for college. Their estimate is that twenty three percent of the high school students who took the ACT last year are likely to get a C or better in freshman English […]
California, Part IV
One final article on what we can learn about developing an economic growth strategy from California. John Judis wrote for the New Republic a more nuanced article than the Time magazine cover story on the future prospects of California. Its worth reading. Judis agrees that California – no matter how dysfunctional its state government – […]
Culture Trumps Policy
Reading and writing about the future of California has me thinking about what really matters to their likely continuing role as an economic powerhouse. What is it that positions them far better to succeed in a flattening world than Indiana and Michigan. I keep coming back to the central conclusion of our New Agenda work […]
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 […]