The Next Great Leap

摘要

In the face of gridlock at the federal level in Washington, D.C., states and cities are turning to the economic development profession as never before for help in spurring their regional economies. This affords the profession an opportunity to rapidly mature and assume its rightful place as the branch of economics that achieves tangible results, as opposed to macroeconomists who merely debate whether the Federal Reserve should raise or lower interest rates. The success of Austin, Texas; San Diego, California; Research Triangle Park, North Carolina; and Orlando, Florida prove that what happened in Silicon Valley can be replicated elsewhere. These newer technology clusters show that dynamic innovation ecosystems do not have to occur as an accident.