Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Wisconsin has released an audit of its economic development funds. We can expect more of these types of audits in the future. North Carolina (Regional Partnerships), Louisiana (Shreveport convention center) and New York (Empire Zones) have faced scrutiny.
These type of audits are healthy. They not only uncover weak controls or even malfeasance. As one state senator notes: "Things get thrown into the system piecemeal, unfortunately, and now through this audit we can make it more rational."
In addition, these audits tend to reveal how funds are distributed geographically. They can uncover patterns of political bias.
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.
Wisconsin audit of ED programs
