Led by the auto industry, Michigan was once a model for the world. Once the booming industrial metropolis with a vibrant middle class, now casts a dark shadow as a potential sign of what awaits other once industrialized regions. The woes of Detroit, the Big 3, and Michigan have been well documented over the years. This is a good article that talks about some of the things that Michigan is investing in to turn the page, rebuild their economy, and get their people back to work.
These are the gems that stuck out to me from the article:
- TechTown is a great example of a cluster to spur economic growth through a combination of resources, expertise, training, and other support. It’s this kind of ecosystem that has allowed Silicon Valley to lead the world for decades.
- We must focus not only on the development of next-generation technologies but also the manufacturing side. This manufacturing is vital as it holds the key not only sustained development in these technologies but also to the supporting industries that spring up to support it and the production jobs created. Coherent national incentives and policies are critical as states can not go it alone.
- We must continue to support University/private partnerships to spur business investment and creation. Using UM as the anchor, Michigan can leverage the world class talent and research already present to nurture the businesses that will create jobs.
- This will all take time. The article rightly acknowledges that recovery will not happen overnight. This is why it is all the more critical that we get to work today designing the policies that allow for business creation/expansion and good jobs here in America.
Ohio, like Michigan and much of the rest of the country, is hurting right now. The problems in Michigan didn’t develop overnight but were the result of horrible mistakes by a number of stakeholders over decades. Likewise solutions will take years, not months. It is critical that we put aside partisanship and focus on rebuilding the American economy and getting our fellow Americans back to work. This article is a great reminder of what it will take, and what a small part of the process looks like.