Venture capital is essential to the state’s startups. But as in so many sectors of the economy, more investment is needed.
Economic Development
Posted inGuest Commentary
Help wanted. Credentials required. Are Michigan job-seekers ready?
The evidence is clear: The jobs of the future will require post-secondary education, but our data is pretty dismal on that front. Higher ed of all types is the answer.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Concentrated benefits, diffused costs: How popular are public subsidies of private business, anyway?
One way to find out would be to put these economic-development handouts to a vote. San Diego said no to a new stadium, but Detroiters didn’t get a voice on theirs.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan good at making tax deals, but results of them aren’t clear
DETAILS NOT INCLUDED: While Michigan is good at tracking the overall amount of tax-break deals, say researchers, it’s not so great in showing whether the deals accomplished their stated goals. (courtesy image/used under Creative Commons license) Michigan gets high marks from some experts on how it reports its billions of dollars in tax breaks to […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Living for the city: Vibrant urban cores lure young talent
FLYING HIGH: Milwaukee’s avant-garde art museum is a landmark on its urban waterfront. Such amenities are seen as key to lure young talent to metro areas. (Courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) Detroit and Milwaukee have a shared history as blue-collar, manufacturing, shot-and-a-beer kinds of towns. In recent decades, the two Midwest cities also have […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
In turnaround, suburbs lose business to Detroit after years of flight
(Bridge illustration by A.J. Jones) The Southeast Michigan office of Grand Rapids-based public relations firm Lambert Edwards & Co. had been located for years in a gleaming high-rise Troy tower, surrounded by a sea of asphalt parking lots and clogged highways. “You couldn’t walk out your door to get a sandwich,” President Jeff Lambert said. […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Is Michigan too light on tax lures?
How many economic development incentives does Michigan need to compete for jobs and business investment? A debate is raging over that question since Gov. Rick Snyder largely shifted the state’s economic development efforts away from trying to buy jobs from other states to helping Michigan companies grow, a process he calls “economic gardening.” Soon after […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
State bets big for jobs; gains are expensive
An economic development program created by Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s administration has spent more than $400 million in creating about 2,300 jobs. That’s about $175,000 per job. Rather than kill the program that critics said has a poor job-producing record, Gov. Rick Snyder is expanding the scope of the 21st Century Jobs Fund. The Jobs Fund […]