Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Baseball may be the American passtime, but it is also a remarkable case of corporate welfare and misguided economic development thinking. Here's an detailed three part series that gives you some insight into the real deals. It's not a pretty picture. The take-away: To buy the Expos, some community will have to build a stadium at public expense.
I found the story of Miller Field in Milwaukee amusing. Bud Selig, owner of the Brewers, ended up with the whole enchilada at public expense. The only contribution he made was from the sale of naming rights to a stadium paid for by the taxpayers.
Even better: The conservative columnist George Will -- the staunch defender of private enterprise -- thinks Selig is the greatest commissioner of all times.
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.
The underside of the baseball business
