Monday, July 25, 2005
Here's an interesting question: Do public opinion polls matter and economic development? Both Tallahassee, Florida and Northeast Ohio have recently conducted public opinion polls on regionalism.
Aside from giving civic leaders a little courage to pursue regional initaitives, I'm not clear on the value of these efforts. Regional initiatives start with civic leadership. Sometimes a poll can help clarify a sense of direction, but they rarely provide insights into what to do and how to do it.
Here's what they found in Tallahassee. Read more. Here's what they found in Northeast Ohio. Read more.
posted by Ed Morrison |
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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.
Measuring public opinion on regionalism
