Economic Development as a Profession: Do We Need a Rethink?

Economic Development as a Profession: Do We Need a Rethink?

What can I say? The title says it all. Wrapped up in a Contemporary Era Paradigm or Wedded to a Practice of State and Local Economic Development that has become institutionalized–i.e. cemented into a consensual set of strategies and programs which we all can install in our states and communities, whatever their problems, locations, strengths and weaknesses. One-size-fits-all.

The trouble is that the rest of America may not have got the memo. Believe it or not they may even reject the Paradigm. Worse, the evolution of the ED Profession over the last several decades may have resulted in economic developers isolated in policy silos, struggling to hold onto resources and political support in an increasingly turbulent time. Some iconoclastic ideas on issues and the profession.