Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Civic leaders in El Paso are getting together to develop a new economic development strategy. Inthe article, the following comment by one participant caught my eye:
"I'm hoping the summit will help to create a more open and transparent environment for economic development. I am encouraged by the approach the mayor is taking to create an atmosphere for people to think, present new ideas, and have the confidence that our region can grow in a global economy."
Here is why this quote is interesting. Economic development takes place in a civic space, outside the four walls of any one organization. In the past five years, I have noted that as more people see a stake in economic development strategy, the demand for transparency goes up.
Corporations are facing the same challenge. (See, for example, Tapscott's book, The Naked Corporation.)
We are seeing more economic development consultants using project web sites, not just to keep stuff organized, but also to make the process of strategic thinking more open and available.
Read more about what is going on in El Paso.
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.
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.
El Paso's economic summit
