The New Republic

Hubs and clusters, institutes and ecosystems: In recent years, we and others have talked a lot about the morphology of innovation systems, which are frequently anchored by major centers of research and comprised of related regional groups of entrepreneurs, orbiting firms, industry actors, and educational institutions. READ MORE >>

Three years into the National Export Initiative, and just as Brookings is primed to further scale up its Metro Exports Initiative (MEI) to meet rising demand, there appears to be growing skepticism in some circles about the prospect of embracing and promoting exports in the face of a potential global economic slowdown. The media, regional leaders, and other interested parties--all are questioning whether the European debt crisis, a slowdown in China, and the overall weakness READ MORE >>

What explains the wide range of economic growth and prosperity across U.S. regions, and why is it so hard for struggling metro areas to reverse multi-decade trends? These are the questions that urban economist Enrico Moretti addresses in The New Geography of Jobs. In his vision, innovative workers and companies create prosperity that flows broadly, but these gains are mostly metropolitan in scale, meaning that geography substantially determines economic vitality. READ MORE >>

When it comes to transformative infrastructure, there’s no bigger tool for metro areas than local referendums. These regional votes give metropolitan areas an opportunity to sidestep the business-as-usual approach in Washington and initiate their own local vision--and to do so with resources typically counted in the billions. From major rail investments in Denver to a new central park in Oklahoma City, referendums are a vital way to reshape our metropolitan economies. READ MORE >>

with Shyamali Choudhury and Katie Morris READ MORE >>

The nation is headed for a large scale cleantech subsidy pull-back, so it was gratifying to see our work on that and energy innovation referenced in David Leonhardt’s surprisingly optimistic essay on climate change mitigation in yesterday’s New York Times. READ MORE >>

Earlier this week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) lowered its growth forecast for the global economy for this year and next. It seems that both developed and developing countries are going to expand more slowly than expected earlier this year. In a pattern also seen in 2011, the United States is experiencing a loss of momentum and the Eurozone countries are still stuck in a sovereign debt quagmire. But now the large emerging markets (Brazil, India, and China) are growing at a slower rate than last year. READ MORE >>

Last week, the Congressional Budget Office released an important analysis on the potential efficacy, need, and impact of a national infrastructure bank (NIB.) While the idea remains stuck in political and policy limbo, the report is still highly relevant. READ MORE >>

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Are jobs requiring scientific knowledge scarce, relative to other fields? That is the conclusion reached in last Sunday’s Washington Post, in an article headlined “Scientists heeded call but few can find jobs.” Yet, while there are legitimate points raised about the post-doc system, and fluctuations in federal R&D spending, the story incorrectly implies that the labor market for scientists, and especially chemists and biologists, is particularly bleak. READ MORE >>