Monday, July 26, 2004
Tucson's civic leadership is moving in the right direction by rethinking the roles of economic development. Learn more
The traditional categories that we are using -- attraction, retention and expansion -- do not focus on the underlying "drivers" of our economy: brainpower and innovation (both of which are embedded in regional innovation systems, called "clusters"). Further, these tradiitonal categories give too little attention to building quality, connected places -- the type of places where innovation can flourish. (We tend to view these investments as "community development", another line in the sand.)
Our basic economic development categories are seventy years old. Attraction strategies started in Mississippi in the 1930's. Business "retention" is a term that focused on what Northern states could do after firms started moving to the South. That wave started with textiles in the 1950s. Workforce development has its roots in federal programs that date to the 1960's.
By thinking in old categories, we close ourselves off from the new opportunities in front of us.
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:
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.
Rethinking economic development in Tucson
