Thursday, August 10, 2006
We are starting to see an important alignment among local, regional, state and federal perspectives on economic development. The solutions to build competitive economies will be found at the regional level.
Here's a good example from a forum in Connecticut. Emily DeRocco, the federal official who has been pushing the WIRED initiative, told the audience: "It is by combining all the assets of a region into an integrated economic development strategy that areas can compete and succeed in the global economy."
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.
Focus on the regions
