Thursday, October 13, 2005
In economic development, we have a tendency to want targets. Part of the explanation lies, I think, in the traditions of the profession. One major branch of the profession started with recruitment strategies. (The other major branch developed out of urban development.)
So, as we began to shift our thinking to clusters, we have tended to pick a handful of clusters on which to focus. It makes more sense, though, to focus on promoting practices that accelerate innovation...And innovation can emerge from anywhere. As Michael Porter points out, there are no low tech industries, just low tech companies. Read an interesting commentary that raises some of these issues.
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.
No low tech industries, just low tech companies
