Saturday, December 18, 2004
Globalization is pushing regions to the forefront of economic changes, while at the same time weakening the leverage of national governments to intervene in markets.
Here is a good case in point. This week, the United Nations is holding a global warming conference in Argentina. While the Bush administration has dug in its heels by refusing to sign the Kyoto Protocol to reduce "greenhouse gases", a number of states are moving ahead on their own.
In New England, eight states have come together in an effort to reduce emissions. last month, in the Pacific Northwest, California, Oregon and Washington signed an agreement to work together. Even more interesting, talk emerged this week of a European-U.S. market in carbon-trading.
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.
More evidence on the emergence of regions
