Toyota project shows that Arkansas is having trouble shifting gears
Tuesday, November 26, 2002
Arkansas' economic development apparatus is heavily oriented toward capturing manufacturing plants rather than building an innovation economy. The approach is short-sighted.
The governor has requested a $40 million from the legislature for a Superfund to land big projects. At the same time, he has turned down all budget increase requests from the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority. Arkansas' push for the Toyota plant has been far more aggressive than Texas. (Read a comparison. Go.)
Here's a great insight from Jeffery Collins, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
""They always talk about politics being local, but politics are also in the moment. But the economic viability of the state doesn't rest with decisions made in the moment. It rests with strategic planning for the future, with a varied employment portfolio for Arkansans. That means there has to be a strategy, no matter how difficult it appears on the surface, to build a knowledge-based industry."
While there are signs that Arkansas is moving toward an innovation economy, the progress is slow. Read more. Go
posted by Ed Morrison |
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Toyota project shows that Arkansas is having trouble shifting gears
