PCRD

Brookings Institution Tracking Recovery in the Great Lakes Region

Brookings Institution has a useful series on how the major metropolitan areas in the US are responding to economic changes that signal the ending of the current deep recession.  As part of this series, the Brookings Metropolitan Policy program is keeping track of the Great Lakes major metro areas and also the Mountain areas.  For a summary of the findings on the Great Lakes metros, go here. The entire report can be downloaded as a PDFf at the same website.

Entrepreneurship during the Recession

A new Kaufman Foundation study look closely at the U.S.'s entrepreneurial history reveals that entrepreneurship is an engine for job creation and economic growth even during difficult economic times. The study, The Economic Future Just Happened reveals that more than half of the 2009 Fortune 500 companies started in a recession or bear market. Similarly, nearly half of the firms on the 2008 Inc. list of America’s fastest-growing companies were launched during a recession or bear market. The study suggests that policies that support entrepreneurship also support recovery. It also reveals that job creation from startup companies tends to be less volatile and sensitive to downturns when compared to the overall economy.