There is increasing speculation that China's surge in the global economy is unsustainable, in part, because of its debt (see the Aug. 22, 2005 issue of Business Week). Closer to home, others point out, with the addition of the recent record U.S. budget deficits, America’s national debt will be too burdensome on generations X and Y and whatever letter comes next.
Placing a high priority on the biosciences as a measure for long-term economic development, the Baltimore Workforce Investment Board (BWIB) has released a strategic plan that aims to ensure growth, in part, by securing a highly motivated and well trained workforce for the city's bioscience sector.
Sixty-nine percent of Kentucky businesses use computer technology to handle some of their business functions, but only 36 percent use the Internet and little more than 20 percent have a website, according to a report released by Governor Paul Patton's Office for the New Economy. Kentucky Prepares for the Networked World, which details computer, Internet and website use among the state's businesses, shows more than 50 percent see "no need" to use the Internet.
The patterns of research and development (R&D) activities vary considerably among those states with the most R&D expenditures, the National Science Foundation's (NSF) latest InfoBrief reports. In 2000, 87 percent of the nation's total R&D investment of $265 billion occurred in 20 states. Only 4 percent of the U.S. R&D total was accounted for by the 20 lowest ranking states.
Ontario is performing from a base of strength in its transition to a knowledge-based economy, according to the Ontario Innovation Index recently released by the Ontario Science and Innovation Council (OSIC). Using 30 indicators, the report measures all aspects of the province's innovation system, from community awareness and support for science and technology (S&T) to levels of investment to support its infrastructure.
The U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) has released a report describing its efforts to evaluate the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Program created by Congress in 2000. The NMTC program, which has total equity of $15 billion, permits taxpayers to receive a credit against federal income taxes for making qualified equity investments in designated Community Development Entities (CDEs).
Security analysts and policy makers have been concerned with information published in the open scientific literature since WWII and the Cold War. Recently the focus has shifted towards information and research in the biosciences because of the dramatic advances and potential application of this information to bioterrorism.
A new report, Just Clusters: Economic Development Strategies that Reach More People and Places, from Regional Technology Strategies, Inc. (RTS) finds that while cluster-based economic development strategies have the potential to expand opportunities for disadvantaged populations and rural regions, most current cluster strategies do not pay attention to equity issues. The project was made possible through a grant from the Ford Foundation.
Participants of the Federal Biodefense Research FY 2003 Conference recently held in Washington D.C. were given the opportunity to see how the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will work. With its passage in November 2002 by congressional legislation, the Homeland Security Act that created DHS initiated the largest reorganization of the federal government since the 1950s. Now, several agencies and departments will be affected by DHS, and each figures to have an important role in the biodefense arena.
Indiana Governor Frank O'Bannon unveiled a plan earlier this week to "Energize Indiana" that relies heavily on tech-based economic development. Gov.
Gov.-elect Robert Ehrlich has officially put forth his first economic development initiative for Maryland, according to recent press reports. His initiative, the creation of the Commission on Development of High Technology Business, is designed to encourage more technology business in the state.
The Oregon Council on Knowledge and Economic Development (OCKED) is set to present its official report to the governor and the 2003 State Legislature. Outlining several key economic development policy and funding recommendations, the council addresses several short-term and long-term strategies for enhancing Oregon’s economic competitiveness in a knowledge-based global economy.
Massachusetts' high tech economy was hammered by the economic equivalent of a nor’easter throughout much of 2002, according to a report released by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC). The Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy tracks nine industry clusters and 30 economic indicators and documents the declines experienced in the Massachusetts Innovation Economy, which is responsible for one quarter of all jobs in the state.
A strategy to make Maryland's Harford County a competitive jurisdiction for attracting and expanding technology ventures has been unveiled by the Northeastern Maryland Technology Council (NMTC). Offering an analysis of the county's technology resources and assets, the Harford County Strategic Plan is expected to serve as a "road map" to help guide policy efforts for the next 5-15 years.
The Digital Divide may be an oft-discussed topic in today’s economic development world, but questions still remain on how to reduce the phenomenon. Two recently released reports offer possible solutions as to how distressed communities might overcome the Digital Divide.
Complete job descriptions for both S&T positions listed below are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.
Kevin Dorn has been named secretary of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development by Gov.-elect Jim Douglas.
Kevin Harter is leaving his position as president of the Central Pennsylvania Technology Council to become senior vice president of the new Life Sciences Greenhouse of Central Pennsylvania.
Kevin Dorn has been named secretary of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development by Gov.-elect Jim Douglas.
Kevin Harter is leaving his position as president of the Central Pennsylvania Technology Council to become senior vice president of the new Life Sciences Greenhouse of Central Pennsylvania.
Doug Rothwell, President and CEO of Michigan Economic Development Corp. until the end of Gov. Engler's administration in January, has accepted the position of executive director for worldwide real estate at General Motors Corp.
Pennsylvania Governor Mark Schweiker has been named President and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. The Governor will assume his new position on Feb. 1.
If the innovation powerhouse that represents the U.S. economy for the past century were a cinder block foundation of a house, then China and India would present two of the more significant cracks. These two great nations may grab the headlines, but the improved innovation and research capacities of any country provide new challenges for continued U.S. domination of the world's economy. As this week's article on the Czech Republic and Singapore reveals, these are just two more blocks in the U.S.
A comprehensive survey of 12,000 departments within 591 institutions of higher education in the U.S. reveals that, in 2003, graduate student enrollment in S&E programs increased by 4 percent over the previous year and 9 percent over the past decade. Foreign student enrollment, however, decreased 8 percent in 2003 after falling 6 percent the year before.
While the U.S. commitment to science is threatened by flattening federal R&D investments, two more countries demonstrate their shared belief that the way to economic prosperity is through science and innovation.
Should policymakers focus on urban core centers as keys to economic growth or seek greater economic equity in the less developed periphery? A new study on regional policy and economic geography suggest policies should be directed toward core growth.