ECD

Economic Gardening: The New Frontier for Economic Development

Actually, "economic gardening" (EG) is NOT a new frontier. It has been around for 20 years....and preliminary results and successes are incredibly encouraging. I believe this approach has much more potential and much less downside than the traditional economic development strategy of industrial recruitment. For a good overveiw of EG and its potential.....as described by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta go to http://www.frbatlanta.org/invoke.cfm?objectid=4AA2C253-5056-9F12-12D9273D84A914EB&method=display_body

The Myth of Who Starts Tech Companies

A new study by the Kauffman Foundation pretty well destroys the notion that most high-tech firms are young hot-shots who have the energy and stamina to survive the grueling early days of a technology start-up. Indeed, most technology firm founders are middle-aged with extensive experience in key business and technology disciplines http://www.kauffman.org/items.cfm?itemID=1054

Strengthening Rural and Regional Economies

Many innovative policies and programs for strenthening rural and regional economies are underway in Canada, Europe and the U. S. The most successful ones focus on four elements: innovation and technology development; community economic development and the social economy; and, community development and capacity building. A Review of Rural and Regional Development Policies and Programs provide many interesting insights and analysis http://www.cprn.com/doc.cfm?doc=1845&l=en

The Next American Frontier: Excitement Amidst Anarachy

Michael Malone looks into the future and sees a certain type of exciting anarchy: "Entire industries will die almost overnight, laying off thousands, while others will just as suddenly appear, hungry for employees. Continuity and predictability will become the rarest of commodities. And if the entrepreneurial personality honors smart failures, by the same token it has little pity for weakness. That fraction of Americans – 10%, 20% – who still dream of the gold watch or the 30-year pin will suffer the most . . . and unless their needs are somehow met as well, they will remain a perpetually open wound in our society." For his full article in the WSJ go to

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB121115437321202233.html

Performance Report: Indiana's Workforce and Education Attainment

A recent report on Indiana's workforce states: "Quite simply, the number of working-age adults in Indiana who have not completed high school, speak little or no English, and are in families that earn less than a living wage is way too high." County-by-county maps illustrate this problem and the variation across Indiana in educational attainment and earnings. http://www.indianachamber.com/adulteducation/

• Increase in Earnings From High School Diploma to Bachelor’s Degree

Survey Results Refect the Huge Diversity within Rural America

The Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire recently surveyed 8,000 residents in four very different rural settings: amenity rich; chronically poor; declining resource dependent; and transitional. Areas of inquiry included: economic changes and challenges; migration and demographic changes;  religion, trust and civil institutions; environment, natural resources and energy; and infrastructure and changing populations.

The variation in views, attitudes and opinions across these four different types of rural areas is very striking and most interesting. See the full report here http://www.knowledgeplex.org/showdoc.html?id=2013871

Indiana's Mid-Size Firms: The Key to Our Future

Mid-sized firms, defined as having $5M-$20M in annual sales comprise a mere 3% of Indiana's businesses. However, they generate between 30% of the jobs and more than 40% of the sales. For more information on these types of firms and the role they will play in the future of Indiana's economy go to

http://www.indianachamber.com/midmarket/

U. S. Education and Workforce Crisis

The National Commission on Adult Literarcy released a report last month which is chilling. For example, the U. S. is the only country among 30 highly developed countries in which the current generation is less well educated than the previous generation. Another alarming statistic: every year, one in three your adults drop out of high school. As my colleague, Ed Morrison, says: "This represents a lifetime economic disability." For more bad news and the call to IMMEDIATE action go to http://www.nationalcommissiononadultliteracy.org/report.html