Tuesday, September 02, 2003
In a clear effort to head off an emerging political issue, President Bush announced that he was appointing a high level "manufacturing czar". The idea seems a little half baked.
An Assistant Secretary is four levels down from the Secretary. The Commerce Department has no timetable for creating the position, no clear responsibilities for the position, and no mention on its web site.
Since the recession began in early 2001, we have lost 2.7 million jobs: 2.4 million have been in manufacturing.
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.