The New Republic

With the 2012 election completed Washington faces a daunting overhang of substantial economic, fiscal, and governance problems. Reform must begin now.  Yet from where will the impetus for progress come? In a different era, the federal government might have launched decisive initiatives on its own to restructure the economy, address the budget, and renew governance. Today, however, the polarization of Washington raises serious questions about the likely quality of such interventions.  READ MORE >>

Each year, Money magazine sets out to identify the “100 Best Places to Live in America.” As we noted when we reviewed the magazine’s 2009 list here, the American appetite for rankings and hometown pride drives a plethora of such lists. READ MORE >>

Note: This post has been updated to correct an editing error. As President Obama wraps up his bus motorcade today in Western Illinois, he’ll find himself in proximity to one of the few bright spots of a recovery so halting it still feels like a recession: exporters Exports have been a quiet hero during the last few years. While only 13 percent of the economy, the export sector contributed 44 percent to the growth of the economy last year. Manufacturing industries, such as car, aircraft, and pharmaceuticals manufacturing, are particularly export oriented. READ MORE >>

Can U.S. firms--and workers--still make things here at home? For the past six weeks, ABC News has been examining this question in its “Made in America” series. This past week, they visited a group of small “Manufacturing All Stars” across the country, including Annin Flagmakers outside the Columbus metro, Channel Craft Toys in greater Pittsburgh, and Nordic Ware, a family owned kitchenware manufacturer in Minneapolis. READ MORE >>

Germany vs. Spain. Texas vs. Florida. These aren’t predictions for the next World Cup final or BCS title game but rather examples of the regional divergence in economic performance and fiscal outlook described by Gillian Tett in the Financial Times last Friday. She argues that while international attention has been focused on the divergence of the Eurozone (between countries with strong, growing economies and those without), the U.S. READ MORE >>

Efforts to boost U.S. competitiveness feature prominently in the administration’s FY 2012 budget.  Significantly, the proposal expands the nation’s export playbook because growing exports requires more than trade and currency policy tweaks. READ MORE >>

With American CEOs gathered at Blair House for a discussion on the economy this morning, the overriding challenge for the president and business is twofold: how to grow jobs in the near term while retooling the economy for the long haul. The United States cannot return to an economy characterized by excessive, debt-leveraged consumption. Rather, we want to move forward to an economy driven by exports, powered by low carbon and fuelled by innovation. READ MORE >>

On November 3, the day after the midterm elections, 37 “governors elect” will begin to organize or reorganize their governments. This year will bring added drama to what normally is a low-key exercise. READ MORE >>

Yesterday we contributed to the growing buzz around cluster practice and policy with a big event at the Mayflower Hotel, co-hosted with our friends at the Center for American Progress, the Council on Competitiveness, and the READ MORE >>

This week’s Economist references an intriguing study by Boston Consulting Group, entitled “Winning in Emerging-Market Cities.” The study provides a granular, market savvy, and business relevant interpretation of the urban revolution underway in developing nations across the world. The new world order is an urban order. For the first time, more than half of the world’s population now lives in cities and their metropolitan environs.   READ MORE >>