New MSU Land Policy Institute Report Suggests Prosperity for Michigan Hinges, In Part, On Attracting Key Populations:
Michigan’s metropolitan areas must do a better job of attracting and keeping young workers, retirees and well-educated immigrants in order for its job market to improve, according to a national study to be released by the Land Policy Institute at Michigan State University (MSU).
Michigan lags far behind most other states in attracting and retaining residents in all three of those categories, which MSU researchers say is critical to restoring Michigan’s prosperity in the new knowledge-based economy.
“In the Old Economy, people moved somewhere new or lived somewhere for 30 years because that was where their jobs were,” said Dr. Soji Adelaja, the report’s lead author, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor in Land Policy and Director of the Institute. “Not anymore. People who create the most jobs directly and indirectly are also those people moving to those places in the country that have the best amenities and quality of life. They are seeking places first, not jobs first.”
Policy makers should consider a new model for economic development that is less focused on tax incentives and more focused on increasing Michigan’s population of “knowledge workers” who “look for interesting places to live, move there and enable economic activity to follow them, including job creation for themselves,” Dr. Adelaja said. . . .
According to Dr. Adelaja, the winners will be those regions that build strategies and bolster vibrant urban cores, green recreation opportunities and diverse, entrepreneurial populations, among other assets. . . .
The Land Policy Institute’s Executive Summary was formally presented today, Wednesday, February 25, 2009, to the State House Committee on “New Economy and Quality of Life.”
The final report will be available in early March at www.landpolicy.msu.edu.