New directions for Louisiana? It will take time Saturday, July 17, 2004 Mike Olivier, the new head of economic development for the state, gives an overview of where he is heading. Read more. Unfortunately, Olivier dismisses the perceptions of corruption too easily. Corruption in Louisiana undermines economic development. (I lived in the state for ten years and have stories to tell.) The problem cannot be so easily dismissed, and passing an ethics statute -- while a good step -- is a small step. Corruption imposes a real, substantial cost on the state. Political and civic leadership have failed the people of Louisiana for generations. Rubbing out this perception will take years of concerted focus by a new generation of civic leaders. While Governor Blanco has aligned herself with this new generation, she has yet to mobilize the civic networks she needs to sustain reform. Corruption represents the central economic development issue for the state. Overwhelming statistical evidence proves that economies with high corruption levels have poorer economic performance. Here is a report that summarizes the evidence. Download. The second economic development thrust for Louisiana should be education improvement. In today's brainpower economy, education is everything. After decades of neglect, the state has a long way to go. View a comparison. The state needs an economic development leader who puts brainpower at the center of the state's economic development agenda. 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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