Minnesota heading down the wrong path with enterprise zones
Saturday, February 01, 2003
Minnesota's governor is moving to establish as many as ten new rural enterprise zones. The problem is...there's not much evidence that these zones work. Read more.
The process of economic development is far more complex that the promoters of these zones understand. Economic development requires a productive pattern of joint investments in infrastructure. In the knowledge economy, the scope of infrastructure is expanding beyond the traditional (roads, bridges, water, sewer) to include flexible secondary and post-secondary education, workplace training, entreprenuerial development, telecommunications, and innovation networks (sometimes called clusters).
Equally important, prosperity now demands collaboration and consensus that come from civic habits of dialogue, as well as a special type of leadership practiced by civic entrepreneurs.
Enterprise zones promote simple answers...but there are none.
posted by Ed Morrison |
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Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
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Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
Minnesota heading down the wrong path with enterprise zones
