Monday, April 09, 2007
Cynics say that the role of Congress in economic development is to bring back pork. True enough, perhaps. But members of Congress can play an even more important role.
When fully engaged, members of Congress can redefine the economic challenges faced by regions. They can accelerate the alignments needed to accelerate productive investment.
Christopher Shays has been shaping the collaborations in Connecticut. Tim Ryan occupies a leading role in the Mahoning Valley in Ohio. Zack Wamp has been actively involved in changing the economic landscape of Eastern Tennessee. Silvestre Reyes has been guiding discussions of a regional border authority in El Paso.
Here's another example. As I noted in an earlier post, Collin Peterson has been promoting the role of local foods in the Minnesota economy. 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.
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.
Promoting regional change: The role of a congressman
