Metro Policy
Inside the White House Jobs Forum: Infrastructure's Long Tail
The White House's Jobs and Economic Growth Forum yesterday was a fascinating, yet frustrating event. The president and his team were very forceful about the need for action and the seriousness of our current situation. Yet he was also quite sober given the fiscal challenges we’re facing as a nation and the tension between short and long term priorities. READ MORE >>
Innovation Nation: Israel
As America struggles to get its mojo back as a preeminent center of innovation and thereby prosperity, metropolitan and national economic leaders would do well to study the case of Israel. Israel? Yes, Israel. READ MORE >>
Kick Start
Baltimore Bets on Port Privatization
Frank Sobotka never delivered on his dredging in Season 2 of The Wire, but it appears like Baltimore is finally one step closer to getting a much improved Port of Baltimore. READ MORE >>
Industry Clusters: A Rural Boon?
Food Stamps and the Growing Suburban Safety Net
An important federal program that tends to fly under the radar received some unprecedented real estate this past weekend--an enormous spread on page A1 of Sunday’s New York Times. READ MORE >>
How Should We Target Job Creation?
With all the hubbub around job creation it is easy to overlook the fact that the federal government did provide guidance on how best to geographically target funds for highway projects in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). That law directs transportation agencies to place priority on “Economically Distressed Areas” for project selection of ARRA funds. READ MORE >>
Will Looming Debt Issues Penetrate the Federal Transportation Debate?
The New York Times ran a fascinating article earlier this week concerning looming federal debt issues. I’ll let the article do most of the talking, but the general rub is that federal debt payments will jump substantially in the coming years--and this has very real consequences for how and what government funds. READ MORE >>
