Saturday, July 10, 2004
Add the chamber in Athens, OH to the ED groups that have figured out that the name of the game has shifted from recruitment to innovation. Read more.
Someone estimated that there are about 10,000 economic development organizations in the US. My guess is that only about 5% are managed by people who really understand that strengthening regional innovation systems represents the central challenge for economic development in the years ahead.
"Clusters" represents a shorthand term to describe regional innovation systems. The problem is that most EDPros don't really understand the concept. Many of us think "clusters" (a productivity concept) represents the same thing as "targeting" (a marketing concept). (See, for example, the comments of Mike Olivier, Louisiana's new economic development chief here.
The changes sweeping our economy are far more profound. We are moving into an era of Netowrk Cappitalism in which value is generated by networks. These changes will carry deep impacts on our regional economies. For example, read how one venture capitalist in Silicon Valley predicts that the emergence of India and China will have profound impacts on Silicon Valley. Go.
posted by Ed Morrison |
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.
If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site:
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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.
Athens, OH shifts the mix
