The Import of Capacity
(Export Development Canada – Peter G. Hall)
It takes teamwork to build an economy. Economic development plans at the local, regional and national level play a key role. Over the years, much has been written and myriad plans have been implemented by economic developers. Does all the economic transformation we have seen in the past 20 years in any way change the shape of modern economic development?
Historically, development programs have focused on encouraging domestic investment, attracting foreign investment, creating hubs of activity, building export-oriented business capacity, targeting cool new niche industries, trying to increase value-add in traditional industries, diversifying on a number of fronts – the list goes on. The initiatives are noble, although generally mercantilist in nature, and have yielded good results where intelligently implemented. Is this the appropriate model for the future? Read more or watch the video here.
Date: October 21, 2011
