The first post I wrote for this blog was 13 years ago. It was entitled the Need For a New Michigan and made the case that what made us prosperous in the past, won't in the future. That if we…
The 2010s were a great decade for America's big cities. The 2020 Census found that each of the top 25 cities in the country gained population. 14 of them had population growth of more than 100,000. New York City led…
More than a decade ago we asked if the state's economic development strategy worked, what state would you want Michigan to look like? Our answer was Minnesota. At the time the most prosperous state in the Great Lakes. And cold…
Salesforce chairman and co-C.E.O Marc Benioff in a New York Times op ed entitled We Need a New Capitalism becomes another capitalist advocating for big changes in American capitalism. He writes: To my fellow business leaders and billionaires, I say…
In an interview with Bridge magazine University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel lays out the case for public investments as essential to the future success of Michigan. Particularly public investments in higher education. Schilissel says: It used to be the…
In our first ever state policy agenda we identify dealing with the Great Decoupling as the preeminent economic challenge of our times. Figuring out how everyone benefits from a growing economy, rather than just those at the top. In the…
For decades the Detroit Regional Chamber has be a leader on the importance of transit to the success of the region and state. Way ahead of the rest of the business community both in the region and across the state.…
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Minnesota now has a $1.9 billion state budget surplus. This comes after the state in 2013 raised its top income tax rate to 9.85 percent from 7.85 percent for families with incomes over $250,000.…
What worries most about Michigan politics is that we have two parties who by and large are trying to make the 20th Century work again. A factory-based economy supported by farming and tourism. As we have documented in our reports,…
As we explored in our last post young professionals are concentrating in record numbers in vibrant central cities. Across the country––in red and blue states––state, regional, and city leaders understanding that where talent concentrates economic growth will follow, have made…