Popular Government

North Carolina needs new vision and leadership in the public, private, and academic sectors to build a competitive economy in the face of complex economic and social change. Achieving this vision and leadership will require unparalleled collaboration across sectors and a no-holds-barred attitude toward education and business. If the state continues to tolerate the loss of human capital and business opportunities—that is, if it continues tosee itself as a victim—economic decline may become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

This article discusses various indicators of globalization and describes North Carolina’s status on each one. It then discusses the role of one key player, higher education, in mobilizing action.

North Carolina’s economy appears to be undergoing a sea change. In fact, the ship of state seems to have lost its economic moorings. But is this actually the case? This article examines the state’s changing economy and lays out a framework for thinking about economic development policy. It describes traditional economic development policies and their achievements. Then it surveys innovative policies and programs of the past decade. It concludes with a framework for integrating traditional and innovative policies into a matrix for planning and action.

This article explains that, in addition to helping communities attract external resources, strategic visioning helps build within the community resources that are critical to economic development success. These resources are collectively referred to as “community capacity.”

Advanced industrial countries such as the United States are moving away from producing things—or at least from producing easily made goods, with lower value added—toward producing value from knowledge. What does this mean for postsecondary educational institutions, which undoubtedly are key players for regions striving to succeed in a new economic landscape? How are they responding to a multitude of challenges and opportunities?

According to business economist David Birch, every community loses 7 to 8 percent of its jobs each year from a combination of bankruptcy, death, acquisition, and other causes. About 55 percent of all new jobs arise from expansions of existing businesses. Only 1 percent of net new jobs occur as a result of business relocations. As a result, approximately 44 percent of new jobs are created by start-up companies, usually one-person undertakings that begin with zero or a handful of employees and—if things go well—grow into larger, successful enterprises.

Recent research shows that entrepreneurial activity is strongly associated with overall economic growth in a community or a region. However, the benefits of entrepreneurship are not evenly spread throughout the United States. Compared with urban and suburban areas, rural communities and distressed inner-city neighborhoods are home to fewer and less-successful entrepreneurial ventures.

This article provides advice for local government officials who want to encourage entrepreneurship in their communities.

North Carolina needs new vision and leadership in the public, private, and academic sectors to build a competitive economy in the face of complex economic and social change. Achieving this vision and leadership will require unparalleled collaboration across sectors and a no-holds-barred attitude toward education and business. If the state continues to tolerate the loss of human capital and business opportunities—that is, if it continues tosee itself as a victim—economic decline may become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

This article discusses various indicators of globalization and describes North Carolina’s status on each one. It then discusses the role of one key player, higher education, in mobilizing action.

Industry clusters have become increasingly popular as a tool for localities, states, and regions to use in understanding their economies and taking actions to become more competitive. Indeed, industry clusters are becoming a dominant paradigm in economic development. Policy makers around the world are commissioning cluster initiatives and adopting a cluster-based approach to creating economic growth and prosperity.

This issue of At the School contains five articles:

• Loeb Retires
• MPA Program Rises to Top Ten in News Magazine Ranking
• Ammons Elected to ASPA Council
• Stenberg Reelected Chair of National Academy
• Major Gifts Support MPA Students, Building, and Judicial Education