Building Regional Partnerships for Economic Growth and Opportunity

“Currently, the United States has the highest levels of poverty and income inequality of any developed country in the world, and both levels have been increasing rapidly over the past decade (OECD 2008; Saez 2009; Kneebone & Berube 2008). The recent financial and economic crises have accelerated those trends; experts predict that if unemployment remains high, as many expect, poverty and inequality will continue to increase over the next several years (Sawhill 2009).

Ignoring this problem could stifle innovation and slow economic growth: regions cannot rely solely on attracting all the talent they need, just as they cannot rely solely on attracting all the jobs they need.... Regions with higher levels of inequality and poverty also have higher associated economic and social costs, which make them less attractive to outside investors and tie up public resources that could otherwise be invested in activities that promote innovation and growth (Cortright 2009)” (p.2). (Abstractor: Author)

Key elements for creating and sustaining regional partnerships, innovation, and economic growth, in brief: • “An inclusive, organic , homegrown process that brings together key stakeholders from across the region to plan together” (p.11). • “Objective and timely information about what’s happening in the region to use as the basis for planning” (p.11). • “An analysis of the region’s unique competitive assets and challenges, and where the least amount of effort could make the biggest difference” (p.11). • “An operational plan that resembles a political campaign and identifies who is accountable for carrying out which pieces of the plan” (p.11). • “Metrics to track the implementation and overall performance of the region’s plan, and to determine whether changes are making a difference” (p.12). • “A core group of leaders to maintain a long-term vision, hold the pieces together, and keep the process moving forward” (p.12). (Abstractor : Author and Website Staff)

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2011
• Author(s): Carlson, Pete; Holm, Robert; Uhalde, Ray
• Organizational Author(s): Jobs for the Future
• Funding Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Walmart Foundation
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by: Wesley Peterson
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies