Michigan is, by right, obsessed with economic development. The convoluted array of incentive and subsidy programs we’ve built to lure new firms or build new industries is substantial, to say the least.
But the theory underlying most of these traditional economic development tools is changing. The shift—one with serious potential for environmental and community-minded folks—is fundamentally moving away from traditional “smokestack chasing” models toward what’s been dubbed “economic gardening.”
The difference is stark.
Rob Fowler, head of the Small Business Association of Michigan, suggests we shouldn’t consider it an evolution, but the emergence of a whole new approach to economic development.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Economic gardening: Looking within rather than outside for Michigan’s recovery
Author: Brad Garmon
