  Corktownmark Member Username: Corktownmark Post Number: 270 Registered: 12-2004 |
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs .dll/article?AID=/20070227/BUS INESS/70227062 Michigan impresses in survey on economic preparedness February 27, 2007 By JOHN GALLAGHER FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER Ready for some good news about Michigan’s economy? A new study that tracks how states are preparing for the knowledge-based economy of the future reported Tuesday that Michigan has made more progress since 1999 than any other state. Michigan ranked 19th overall in the 2007 State New Economic Index, up from 34th place in the 1999 version of the report and up from 22nd place in the 2002 index. That 15-place improvement since 1999 was the most of any state. Robert Atkinson, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and chief author of the index, said Michigan is doing a lot right in spite of its high unemployment rate and its troubles in the domestic auto industry. “The shift is a real shift,” he said Tuesday, citing high investment in research and development and the influx of highly trained foreign immigrants into Michigan as highpoints for the state. Patrick Anderson, a Lansing-based economist who has studied innovation in Michigan, said he agrees with the basic findings of the index. “Beneath the deeply troubled exterior of the Michigan economy, there are some overlooked areas of strength,” Anderson said. “And one of them is the deep pool of high-tech talent and of companies that are already exploring and pioneering in the new economy.” Michigan’s rise in the index since 1999 is not an exact comparison, because new variables were added for both the 2002 version and the newest one. Even so, Atkinson said, the state’s progress appears real. Posted online Tuesday at www.kauffman.org/neweconomy, the 92-page report was produced by Atkinson’s group and the Kansas City-based Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The 2007 index measured 26 variables, including the number of state residents who use the Internet, the amount of research and development spending by state companies, immigration of highly educated workers, and the amount of venture capital available. Michigan scored surprisingly high in some categories, and not so well in others. Belying fears of a brain drain because of young people leaving the state, Michigan ranked sixth among the 50 states in the immigration of highly educated workers. Atkinson said that reflects the influx of engineers coming to Michigan from nations such as China, Korea and Taiwan for jobs not only in the automotive industry but also in life sciences and other fields. “That’s a great number,” Atkinson said. “Most people don’t think of Michigan as a haven, but that’s a really very good number.” Michigan’s best single category was electronic government, measuring how much progress the state has made in getting government functions online. Michigan ranked first in the nation in this e-government category. Among its other above-average categories, Michigan ranked fourth in industry investment in research and development, 10th in foreign direction investment in the state, and 11th in managerial, professional and technical jobs. Michigan lagged behind in some other categories. The state ranked 40th in entrepreneurial activity, 30th in new stock offerings and 32nd in the use of technology in schools. Anderson said the findings underscore what it already generally known about Michigan. “We have our serious problems, many of which stand in the way of growing in the new economy,” he said. “Those include a poor business climate and a lagging education system. But we also have surprising strengths.” | ||
Rokk_krinn Member Username: Rokk_krinn Post Number: 50 Registered: 10-2003 |
bump. we need more good news around here. | ||
Milwaukee Member Username: Milwaukee Post Number: 877 Registered: 08-2006 |
Great News! Time for the facts to get out about Michigan. Negative asses need not post on this thread. | ||
Bte_in_va Member Username: Bte_in_va Post Number: 6 Registered: 12-2006 |
Wait till the unions get a hold of this "knowledge based economy"...... | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 1746 Registered: 06-2004 |
^^clueless many "knowledge job" positions are already represented and have been for decades | ||
Titancub Member Username: Titancub Post Number: 33 Registered: 08-2006 |
He did point out that we still have a 'poor business climate'. Uhh, that might be a problem. I'm still concerned because the last 8 years have been an utter disaster in Michigan with minimal comfort that rock bottom has been hit yet - this survey not withstanding. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 177 Registered: 10-2003 |
This is great news, because while it may not be having noticable short-term effects, it is setting the foundation for long-term growth. And I know I'll be attacked for saying this, but this seems like some evidence that Jenny's programs are having some impact on shifting our economy away from manufacturing. | ||
Dougw Member Username: Dougw Post Number: 1572 Registered: 11-2003 |
quote: They won't. | ||
Bibs Member Username: Bibs Post Number: 670 Registered: 10-2003 |
School House Rock - "Knowledge is Power!" | ||
Dabirch Member Username: Dabirch Post Number: 2111 Registered: 06-2004 |
I love the fact the when a report comes out that lumps Detroit at the bottom of something, the collective response is "these reports are biased and stupid" -- but have a report come out with positive news, and it is something to be celebrated. Way to be consistent. | ||
Corktownmark Member Username: Corktownmark Post Number: 272 Registered: 12-2004 |
covered today in the news http://www.detnews.com/apps/pb cs.dll/article?AID=/20070228/M ETRO/702280357/1003 Michigan praised for innovation An economic analysis ranks the state 19th in moving toward a global, high-tech economy. Deb Price / Detroit News Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- Michigan is among the top 20 states transitioning toward economies centered on information technologies, innovation and global markets, according to an economic analysis released Tuesday. Michigan ranked 19th in its overall transition away from a "smokestack chasing" economy, the 2007 State New Economy Index reports. States like Michigan that topped the report are moving to create and retain high-wage jobs in economies that are "knowledge-based, globalized, entrepreneurial, information technology-driven and innovation-based," the report explains. Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, in Washington for a meeting of the National Governors Association, said the report confirms Michigan's progress, despite its continued high jobless rates. "We're putting emphasis on the right things in order to transform Michigan's economy." But U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, expressed skepticism about the report's positive assessment of Michigan. "The ultimate measurement is whether people are coming into Michigan and investing dollars and creating jobs," he said. "For the report to have any credibility, you would expect that Michigan would start to excel in terms of certain measurements -- employment and investment. And we're not seeing either." Hoekstra said his constituents feel "very, very pessimistic about the future of the state." In 2002, the state was ranked 22nd by the New Economy Index, up from 34th in 1999. Michigan's rank rose more than any other state since 1999, said Robert Atkinson, the study's author. Massachusetts came in first, as it did in the two earlier studies; West Virginia was last. The report ranked states on 26 indicators, including the educational level of workers, the volume of exports, and the number of entrepreneurial startups and inventor patents. Michigan scored well in inventor patents (ranked 16th); its percentage of managers, professionals and technicians (11th); the percentage of its workforce employed by foreign companies (10th); and educational attainment of recent immigrants (6th). The state fared poorly in the number of entrepreneurs starting businesses (40th) and the number of new startups and business failures (37th). |
