Economic Development
State Governments Look to Entrepreneurs for Creativity, Efficiency
Assembly member Ian Calderon (second from left) wants California to have a state entrepreneur-in-residence program. Some cities and states are seeking the advice of entrepreneurs. (AP) Follow on Twitter Entrepreneurs in government? The idea may sound like an oxymoron to government bashers. Yet a move is on to bring successful entrepreneurs into state agencies, city […]
Aerospace Manufacturing Takes Off in Southern States
Workers assemble Boeing 787s in the company’s North Carolina plant. The company’s decision to locate in North Charleston has increased aerospace jobs in the state by 600 percent since 2007. Other Southern states have also lured aviation companies. (AP) The South is home to auto giants Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Nissan Motor Co. It is increasingly […]
Five Years After Crash, States Still Picking Up Pieces
Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis at the construction site of her new restaurant in Las Vegas. Construction is one of the weak links in the economic recovery five years after the crash. (PRNewsFoto/Caesars Entertainment Las Vegas) Five years after the 2008 financial crisis sent the U.S. economy into a tailspin, only a handful of states […]
Israeli Technology Draws U.S. States
Governors are flocking to Israel as a hub of innovation and potential trading partner. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, left, meets Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv during a visit to Israel this summer to discuss ways to increase trade and investment opportunities. (Photo courtesy of governor’s office) Israel has become a popular destination […]
How Did States Create Jobs?
A Boeing employee works on an aft fuselage for the 787 Dreamliner at a Boeing plant in North Charleston, S.C. South Carolina gave Boeing $120 million in incentives to help it expand its in-state operations and create 2,000 jobs. (AP) States this year awarded tax breaks to businesses, touted worker-training programs and even poached jobs […]
How Many Jobs Did Your State Create
EDITOR’S NOTE: This data visualization is no longer current. At the time it was published, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, had yet to revise data for several states, including Maine. For the latest BLS employment numbers, please visit http://www.bls.gov/sae/tables.htm Read Stateline’s analysis, How Did States Create Jobs?
Economic Development Agencies Face New Scrutiny
© 2009 National Geographic Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (Getty) Several states, most of them led by Republican governors, have experimented in recent years with the idea of turning their economic development agencies over to semi-private management. The results have not been uniformly successful. Many of these organizations are struggling to balance job creation with public […]
Texas Cancer Agency Fights Controversy
Texas Governor Rick Perry is a major supporter of his state’s Cancer Prevention Research Institute. (AP) The new Texas agency that is leading the state’s 10-year, $3 billion push to cure cancer is fighting for its reputation and future in the face of doubts about its operations. Spurred on by Governor Rick Perry and cyclist […]
Voters Approve More State Debt
Even as storm-weary New Jerseyans struggled to find polling places, voters there overwhelmingly approved the state’s first bond measure to support higher education in 24 years. The measure lets the state borrow $750 million to upgrade and build new facilities at the state’s public and private colleges and universities. The ballot measure in New Jersey […]
Bond Measures Put Some Governors’ Clout on Line
Voters in nine states will consider borrowing more than $3 billion for schools and roads in statewide bond measures on the ballot November 6, including a few that could test some governors’ influence. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s mantra has been cutting taxes and reining in spending, but he wants voters to let the state […]
Redevelopment in California: The Program That Disappeared
Public uproar over state funding to the Dive Bar (above) in Sacramento contributed to the downfall of California’s redevelopment agencies. (AP) Blame it on the mermaids. Only in California could the demise of a state program intended to help cities counter urban blight be linked to a dive bar in the state capital. Actually that’s […]
Art for the Economy’s Sake
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback used to describe arts funding as a luxury his state couldn’t afford. Now he is touting the potential of the arts to bolster the state’s economy and attract new businesses. (AP) A year ago, Governor Sam Brownback employed his line-item veto authority to shut down the Kansas Arts Commission, making Kansas the […]