Executive Summary

Lessons from the Past for Urban Policy in the Era of Trump

The stunning election of Donald Trump as president throws the future of urban policy into doubt. During the campaign he promised to bring new jobs and improved infrastructure to the inner cities, but so far he has furnished no details. Some of the strategies carried out by cities and states in the past may offer the incoming administration some guidance.

 

 

Give me that old-time religion — Innovation is good enuf for me!

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Innovation has been the rage in economic development for some time now. Its been around so long, that politicians, especially governors, have incorporated it into their state economic development platforms and policy initiatives. The questions we pose in this issue are "what is this innovation thing and how has it changed in recent years" and  why has this "innovation thing" become the "rage du jour" in state and local economic development public policy? Let's take a stab at discovering why. The backdrop behind our questions is that despite our support and belief in the power of innovation and its knowledge-based economic growth, we think (1) the strategy does have weaknesses which are being ignored and (2) it has become part of a political bandwagon that seems almost unstoppable. Continue Reading...