The 21st Century path to prosperity––to a broad middle class––is concentrating talent. Not factory jobs. Why? Because today's mass middle class are professionals and managers who work in offices, schools and hospitals. Not production workers who work in factories. You…
Metro Minneapolis has built a diverse economy that is one of the wealthiest of any large metropolitan area in the country and has withstood deep national recessions. Median household income in the Twin Cities of $73,231 was the seventh highest…
It used to be that parents who wanted job security urged kids to get a degree with immediately practical applications—like Eboo Patel’s mother, who wanted him to major in business instead of sociology, as he recalls in this blog from…
In an Business Insider interview Ohio Governor Johh Kasich did something almost no politician does today. He clearly states that we can't go back to a factory-driven economy. Business Insiders writes: But the notion that states such as Ohio are…
Terrific New York Times magazine article entitled Why Are Politicians So Obsessed With Manufacturing? It details the reality that no matter what candidates from both parties promise manufacturing jobs are not coming back. (Edward McClelland explores this topic specifically about Michigan in…
I recently caught up with an old friend whose daughter graduated from high school this year. My friend’s pride in her high-achieving child was obvious, but when I asked about her daughter’s intended college major, her enthusiasm was noticeably muted.…
The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce is a constant source of outstanding analysis on the relationship between education attainment and employment and wages. Their new report America's Divided Recovery is worth reading. The report analyzes changes in…
Good news! General Motors is expanding its manufacturing presence in metro Lansing. As the Lansing State Journal reports: "General Motors Co. will bring more jobs to Lansing with plans to build a $162 million stamping plant here, the latest investment the…
Interesting reaction to our new report. Nearly everyone wants to talk about what it means to policy. And yet for Don Grimes and I the important lessons in the report is about the economy, not policy. Policy should be about…
Don Grimes and I are putting the finishing touches on our new report. The topic is the transformation of the American economy over two decades: from 1990 to 2011. Taking that long term view reveals patterns clearly. And the differences…