We have written frequently (most recently here and here) about Pittsburgh as Exhibit A for how so-called Rust Belt regions can return to prosperity. The basic recipe: make the transition from a factory-driven to a knowledge-driven economy largely by retaining…
Our latest report identified a clear path to prosperity for states and metropolitan area in an economy shaped by globalization and technology. The only exceptions to the pattern are those few who have been benefiting from high energy prices (like…
I do a monthly post for the Grand Rapids Business Journal. Last month I wrote about the occupations and industries their latest 40 Under Forty worked in. Turns out these future leaders in West Michigan overwhelmingly don't work for manufacturers…
One of the questions I'm now asked most frequently is "how is Michigan doing compared to other states in retaining and attracting recent college graduates?" Good question and encouraging that it is being asked more frequently. Folks seem to be…
Below is the 2011 employment rate (employment to population ratio) data for 25-64 years olds –– the prime working years –– for Michigan's three largest metropolitan areas: the nine county Detroit region (including Ann Arbor and Flint), the seven county…
From 2001-2010, the seven county Grand Rapids regional economy performed better than the Michigan economy. That said it was a decade of decline. And the region in 2010 was one of the poorest of all the metropolitan areas in the…
In our 2006 A New Agenda for a New Michigan we wrote: For many Michiganians, vibrant central cities are part of the past. No longer relevant or just something you visit in unique places like Manhattan, Toronto or Chicago. Think again!…
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…