Top university centers in regional economic development Thursday, April 17, 2003 Recently, someone asked me about university centers that are particularly good in doing research on regional economic development issues. Three came to mind. These centers are helpful from a practitioner's viewpoint. Carnegie Mellon's Center for Economic Development leads my list. They have some very good reports on regional ED issues, and they have done a lot to shape the debate in the Pittsburgh region. Visit their publications page to download some useful reports. (Note that the staff of the Center does not include celebrity consultant, Richard Florida, who, to my thinking, is a bit flaky.) Next on my list is the Morrison (no relation) Institute of Public Policy at Arizona State University. For some years, the Morrison Insitute has shaped state ED policy in Arizona. Look at their interactive "Five Shoes" web site to see how they are popularizing economic issues in the state. You can download the Five Shoes report there. The Morrison Institue has done a really good job making economic development issues accessible to the general public by focusing on strong graphics. Finally, I like the research work of the Office of Economic Development at the Kenan Institute at the University of North Carolina. On their publications page you can download their recent report on North Carolina's economic development system. I also like their report on the promise of entrepreneurship in Chattanooga. posted by Ed Morrison |		This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. links 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. So, spread the word...Share the knowledge. Tell a friend about EDPro Weblog. If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site: Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber: 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.

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