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Ed Morrison · Transforming regional economies
October 6th, 2011
Learn more about this important Washington gathering. The University of Akron is a major player in this national network.
Ed Morrison · OECD Science and Technology Report 2011
October 2nd, 2011
The OECD has published its latest Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard. The report examine a wide range of indicators in science, technology, innovation and industrial production for OECD countries, as well as other major players, including Russia, Brazil, India, and China.
The report reinforces the critical role of research universities in U.S. leadership: 40 of the top 50 research universities are located in the U.S. The report also emphasizes how innovation will address the current economic challenges to global growth.
The video outlines the report.
Ed Morrison · More Med Mart confusion
September 29th, 2011
After reading this interview of the Med Mart GM in the Scene, I have no idea what this project is about. Can anyone explain the business proposition clearly? This is now a training center?
The Med Mart’s New Vision: An interview with Med Mart GM Brian Casey
Ed Morrison · Managing the profound changes coming in the Alaskan economy
September 26th, 2011
Last week, I was in Alaska working with civic leaders facing major changes in the state’s economy. With oil production declining at a rate of 6% per year, the state government is facing some major shifts. Over 90% of the State’s revenue comes from oil production. The issue: Can the state’s civic leadership guide the state through this transformation? Scott Goldsmith, a wonderfully gifted economist with the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Alaska has clearly outlined the challenge facing the state.
Some of the dimensions of Alaska’s transformation
The economic transformation facing Alaska is predictable, and civic leaders in Alaska will be confronting the consequences of this major transformation in the state’s economy over the next generation. The issues shaping Alaska’s future economic prosperity in the near term (3 to 5 years); the midterm (6 to 10 years); and the long-term (over 10 years) are already apparent. The issues focus in the following areas:
Expanded investment into Alaska’s oil and gas industry.– This set of issues focuses on aligning Alaska’s public policy with the interests of private investors to slow and potentially reverse the decline of petroleum production revenues; encouraging the State of Alaska to become a co-investor in petroleum development; developing a more appropriate tax structure for Alaska’s future; and engaging the public in a stronger, continuous and more focused dialogue about the future of petroleum in the Alaska economy.
Responsible development of the Arctic.– This set of issues touches on Alaska’s role in the Arctic; the emerging economic landscape for Arctic development in light of climate change; the deep cultural issues involving Arctic development; Alaska’s leadership in climate change research; and the importance of developing a new, continuing dialogue on “responsible development” of the Arctic.
Economic diversification through cluster development, expanded entrepreneurial opportunities, and strengthened village economies.– This set of issues involves implementing a statewide strategy of cluster development; investing in expanded university research and development; improving the entrepreneurial support networks throughout the state; reducing the petroleum dependence in Alaska’s villages by promoting renewable energy to reduce significantly the outflow of village income.
Accelerated educational innovation and improved educational outcomes.– This set of issues involves improvements to early childhood education; expanded innovation in distance education; improved career pathways and skill development; financial incentives for postsecondary education; and initiatives to reduce high school dropouts.
Expanded investment into Alaska’s oil and gas industry.– This set of issues focuses on aligning Alaska’s public policy with the interests of private investors to slow and potentially reverse the decline of petroleum production revenues; encouraging the State of Alaska to become a co-investor in petroleum development; developing a more appropriate tax structure for Alaska’s future; and engaging the public in a stronger, continuous and more focused dialogue about the future of petroleum in the Alaska economy.
Responsible development of the Arctic.– This set of issues touches on Alaska’s role in the Arctic; the emerging economic landscape for Arctic development in light of climate change; the deep cultural issues involving Arctic development; Alaska’s leadership in climate change research; and the importance of developing a new, continuing dialogue on “responsible development” of the Arctic.
Economic diversification through cluster development, expanded entrepreneurial opportunities, and strengthened village economies.– This set of issues involves implementing a statewide strategy of cluster development; investing in expanded university research and development; improving the entrepreneurial support networks throughout the state; reducing the petroleum dependence in Alaska’s villages by promoting renewable energy to reduce significantly the outflow of village income.
Accelerated educational innovation and improved educational outcomes.– This set of issues involves improvements to early childhood education; expanded innovation in distance education; improved career pathways and skill development; financial incentives for postsecondary education; and initiatives to reduce high school dropouts.
A valuable starting point: The Alaska Dialogue
The Alaska Dialogue, led by the Institute of the North, provides a forum to deepen civic engagement within the state. Based on a model of Deliberative Democracy, the Dialogue has clearly provided a valuable experience for these state’s civic leadership. The Institute has built a strong brand for the Dialogue that is synonymous with impartiality, collective learning, and the values of citizen engagement.
This accomplishment is both needed and rare. A growing chorus of commentators has described the declining state of civility in America. This deterioration carries a heavy price. Without civility, citizens and their elected leaders lose the capacity to engage in the complex thinking needed to adapt to the fundamental changes taking place in our economy and our environment. Few states have anything close to the Institute and its Alaska Dialogue to present an alternative to the widespread deterioration of our civic life.
At the same time, the model of Deliberative Democracy––with its emphasis on conducting deeper civic dialogues around specific public policy issues––was not designed to translate ideas into collective action. Instead, Deliberative Democracy focuses on improving the insights and skills of individual citizens. The experience is designed to enable citizens to see complex issues from different perspectives through the presentation of balanced briefing materials.
In this way, citizens learn to embrace the values of dialogue. Citizens learn to deliberate about public problems and solutions through reasoned reflection and deeper conversation. They gain a mutual understanding of the values, perspectives and interests of others. They also see the possibility of reframing their own interests and perspectives in ways that can lead to uncovering common interests and mutually acceptable solutions.
Prior to the Alaska Dialogue 2011, some members wanted to explore how to translate the experience of the Dialogue into action more effectively. Christi Bell of the University of Alaska recommended a different deliberation model: Strategic Doing. We integrated components of this new approach into the 2011 Dialogue.
Strategic Doing: A new approach to civic engagement for Alaska
Deliberative Democracy measures its impacts on the changed attitudes and behavior of individual participants. James Fishkin, the leader in the field at Stanford University, has developed the tool of Deliberative Polling to capture these changes. (Interestingly, Jim was my older brother Hunter’s college roommate.)
Strategic Doing starts with a different premise Incubated at the Purdue Center for Regional Development, Strategic Doing represents a simple discipline for guiding complex civic networks. The discipline focuses on improving our civic life by designing, activating and managing new collaborative civic networks. Through these networks, citizens can more effectively address the challenges facing our economy and democracy. In sum, the underlying theory of civic change for Strategic Doing differs from Deliberative Democracy.
Strategic Doing: A new approach to civic engagement for Alaska
Deliberative Democracy measures its impacts on the changed attitudes and behavior of individual participants. James Fishkin, the leader in the field at Stanford University, has developed the tool of Deliberative Polling to capture these changes. (Interestingly, Jim was my older brother Hunter’s college roommate.)
Strategic Doing starts with a different premise Incubated at the Purdue Center for Regional Development, Strategic Doing represents a simple discipline for guiding complex civic networks. The discipline focuses on improving our civic life by designing, activating and managing new collaborative civic networks. Through these networks, citizens can more effectively address the challenges facing our economy and democracy. In sum, the underlying theory of civic change for Strategic Doing differs from Deliberative Democracy.
Strategic Doing starts with the proposition that we can divide our economy into two major components: a market economy and a civic economy. The market economy, composed of private sector firms, generates wealth. The civic economy––composed of government, education, and nonprofit organizations––supports the market economy, co-creates wealth with the market economy, and largely determines the quality of life within a community or region. Strategic Doing, by improving the collaborations in the civic economy, enhances the performance of the market economy and drive residents of the community to higher levels of prosperity.
Next steps
We’re moving ahead with the deployment of Strategic Doing in Alaska. The University is interested in joining our growing national network of universities that will be offering certifications in the skills needed to design, activate and manage open networks. I’ll continue to report on our progress.
Ed Morrison · Can retraining give the unemployed a second chance?
September 22nd, 2011
The evidence is mounting of a growing “skills gap”: Jobs are available, but we lack the people with the skills to fill them. This issue focuses attention on adult education and training. Here is an interesting article that explores some of the issues involved.
In surveys by Gallup and the McKinsey Global Institute, corporate CEOs and small business owners report difficulties finding workers with the right skills. Silicon Valley companies fight over software engineers; Union Health Service and the Harvard hospital system complain it’s hard to find nurses and technicians; manufacturers like Caterpillar and Westinghouse can’t hire enough welders and machinists to keep their state-of-the-art lathes running. Estimates of the size of the mismatch vary widely, but a May International Monetary Fund paper put it at a quarter of the 9.1 percent unemployment rate. Narayana Kocherlakota, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, has suggested it accounts for a full third of the unemployment rate.
Ed Morrison · New report explores California’s “arts ecology”
September 22nd, 2011
The James Irvine Foundation has released an interesting report on California’s “Arts Ecology”. This new term is designed to capture the interactions among diverse arts organizations within the regional economy. You can learn more and download more reports from this page
Ed Morrison · Got kids? Get this: Yo! Millard Fillmore
September 21st, 2011
My college classmate WIll Cleveland has hit the big time. His e-book, Yo! Millard Fillmore, teaches kids (and adults) about our presidents. It hit the USA Today top 10 list for coolest book apps:
The details: This amusing educational app is based on a best-selling book that promises to teach kids how to memorize the U.S. presidents in 20 minutes. Colorful cartoon videos bring alive the book’s wacky mnemonic memorization devices (for example, a washing machine stands for George Washington), while chronological mini-biographies of each president keep kids grounded in facts, and interactive quizzes help ensure full comprehension.
The verdict: It’s hard to imagine a way to make memorizing the presidents more fun than this.
Available on iTunes.
Ed Morrison · Indiana University and Purdue host the University Economic Development Association
September 19th, 2011
The University Economic Development Association is coming to Indianapolis from October 9-11. It will be a remarkable event.
Participants will be able to tap into the many innovative activities taking place through IU and Purdue. For example, this week, Purdue issued a press release marking the 50th anniversary of the Purdue Research Park (which is really a network of parks).
IU and Purdue have accumulated a lot of experience in regional economic development strategies and a wonderful working relationship. We will be hearing from IU President McRobbie and IU-Kokomo Chancellor Harris.
President McRobbie is a remarkably accomplished leader and he will be a big addition to our program. Among other things, President McRobbie now heads the Board of Internet2,the next generation Internet. Here’s an interview of President McRobbie from Public Radio. You can also download his commentaries from iTunes here.
Chancellor Harris recently testified before the state legislature on the Triple Helix approach to economic development, a framework developed in Europe.
The framework is also advanced by the TRE Network, which will present at our meeting. Purdue’s Vice Provost for Engagement, Vic Lechtenberg, chairs the TRE Board. Vic, TIm Franklin and I will provide an overview of TRE.
Vic also heads the Center for Regional Development, where I work, and he is an extraordinary talent when it comes to understanding how universities can shape regional economies.
Finally, the Technical Assistance Program at Purdue will be well represented by Dave McGinnis and Dave Snow. If you are unfamiliar with Purdue TAP, you can spend a few minutes on the Purdue TAP web site to get a sense of the reach of their activities. I worked with Purdue TAP on our WIRED grant, where we used strategic doing to come up with the nation’s first certification for “green manufacturing“.
This note just scratches the surface of resources and ideas we will be sharing with other professionals involved in university economic development. My Purdue and IU colleagues are very excited about holding our UEDA meeting in Indianapolis. There is still time to register. You can register here.
Ed Morrison · New cluster based initiative in Milwaukee
September 19th, 2011
After its experience with the Milwaukee Water Council, the Greater Milwaukee Committee really understands the power of network-based economic development. Yesterday, they launched a new initiative called MiKE | Innovation in Milwaukee. The cluster will focus on the critical components for building an eco-system.
Ed Morrison · Indiana University and Purdue host the University Economic Development Association
September 19th, 2011
The University Economic Development Association is coming to Indianapolis from October 9-11. It will be a remarkable event.
Participants will be able to tap into the many innovative activities taking place through IU and Purdue. For example, this week, Purdue issued a press release marking the 50th anniversary of the Purdue Research Park (which is really a network of parks).
IU and Purdue have accumulated a lot of experience in regional economic development strategies and a wonderful working relationship. We will be hearing from IU President McRobbie and IU-Kokomo Chancellor Harris.
President McRobbie is a remarkably accomplished leader and he will be a big addition to our program. Among other things, President McRobbie now heads the Board of Internet2,the next generation Internet. Here’s an interview of President McRobbie from Public Radio. You can also download his commentaries from iTunes here.
Chancellor Harris recently testified before the state legislature on the Triple Helix approach to economic development, a framework developed in Europe.
The framework is also advanced by the TRE Network, which will present at our meeting. Purdue’s Vice Provost for Engagement, Vic Lechtenberg, chairs the TRE Board. Vic, TIm Franklin and I will provide an overview of TRE.
Vic also heads the Center for Regional Development, where I work, and he is an extraordinary talent when it comes to understanding how universities can shape regional economies.
Finally, the Technical Assistance Program at Purdue will be well represented by Dave McGinnis and Dave Snow. If you are unfamiliar with Purdue TAP, you can spend a few minutes on the Purdue TAP web site to get a sense of the reach of their activities. I worked with Purdue TAP on our WIRED grant, where we used strategic doing to come up with the nation’s first certification for “green manufacturing“.
This note just scratches the surface of resources and ideas we will be sharing with other professionals involved in university economic development. My Purdue and IU colleagues are very excited about holding our UEDA meeting in Indianapolis. There is still time to register. You can register here.
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