Books to Read
I’m often asked to recommend books to read. When it comes to understanding the economy the two books that have helped me the most to understand the nature of the fundamental change we are going through are: The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman. It still is the best book I know of to understand […]
Minnesota and Alabama, Part II
I previously wrote about Minnesota and Alabama having virtually the same unemployment rate at the time we published our last report. That had been true from 2006-08. But with the same unemployment rate, Minnesota had per capita income more than $8,000 higher. From our perspective it is clear that Michigan needs to move in the […]
Detroit Drives Michigan
The press coverage of the likely change from Detroit Renaissance to Michigan Renaissance included quotes from the organization’s leadership that they believed that if you fix Michigan, you fix Detroit. We respectfully disagree! Is it Illinois that is driving the Chicago economy or Chicago that is driving the Illinois economy? What about Minneapolis and Minnesota, […]
WILS Interview on Michigan Future, Inc.
Did a radio interview with Walt Sorg of WILS radio recently. Its probably the best summary I’ve done of what Michigan Future is all about. You can listen by clicking on the link here. The interview previews a presentation I did for a metro Lansing community forum. But its message applies to the entire state. […]
Where Do We Want to Go From Here?
Michigan Future started its work with the question “where do we want to go from here?” Because if you don’t know where you are going, all roads lead there. To figure out what to work on, you need to know where you are trying to get. Our answer: a high prosperity Michigan. A place with […]
A New Agenda For A New Michigan
This is a foundation report that sets the stage for our initiatives to help create a prosperous Michigan. The reality in Michigan is startling – it has experienced six years of employment decline (2000-2006), even during three years of a national economic upturn. Unlike the relative prosperity it enjoyed for most of last century, Michigan […]
Connecting Urban Poor To Work
Published in 1998 while the Michigan economy was booming, this report addressed the paradoxical issue of connecting the urban poor to work. As we found, even though Michigan had record low unemployment, had income rising for the first time in two decades, and saw employers facing challenges in finding qualified people in the so-called […]
The Need For A New Michigan
Our vision and strategy for growing the Michigan economy is laid out in our 2006 New Agenda for A New Michigan report. As I talk to audiences across the state I am constantly reminded that if you don’t understand the need for a new Michigan, the new agenda is irrelevant. Its clear to me that […]