The Delta Institute in Chicago, which promotes building a "green economy" in the Great lakes region, released an interesting report last week. 

Georgia has released its Competitiveness Report. The most intense response from the public came in the area of education and workforce.
Like Tennessee's effort at a statewide strategy, the report breaks the state into regions.

Earlier this week, Alabama's governor released a new statewide strategy, Accelerate Alabama. You can learn more about the strategy from this CBS news report. The project web site, hosted by the consulting firm contracted for the project, is here. 

New York looks at the future of the media industry in 2020 in a recently released report.
The report outlines three potential scenarios for New York City: fragmentation, a new equilibrium and further concentration. The report also describes new initiatives to pursue.
Media NYC 2020 Report

Governor Nixon of Missouri previewed his new economic development strategy ahead of his State of the State address. His new strategy focuses on five initiatives. 

Minnesota has released a Green Jobs report. The purpose of the report is to help guide the development of workforce and economic development programs. 

A new report outlines that Kentucky could generate 28,000 jobs by diversifying its energy portfolio and promoting energy efficiency.
Legislation before the KY legislature cal for utilities to generate 12.5% of their electricity from renewables by 2022.

The Commerce Department released its America Competes report and its new web site. In remarks to the Brookings Institution, Commerce Secretary Bryson underscored that this report makes a key point that strong businesses alone are not the only explanation for our past competitiveness. The federal government has made a decisive difference in building competitiveness in three areas: education, infrastructure, and basic research. 

Here is a simple idea for accelerating the development of networks needed to support young entrepreneurs. With legislation recently passed by the Indiana legislature, Indiana communities can elect to offer incentive packages to attract young entrepreneurs. It's both a competition and a matchmaking. The young entrepreneurs will evaluate different bid packages before deciding where to locate their business

The initiative is targeted at entrepreneurs who are in an Indiana college or university pursuing a major, minor or certificate in an entrepreneurial program. The initiative also includes Indiana graduates with a major, minor or certificate on the turnaround program who completed their studies within the past 3 years.

The process starts with a business plan. So far, this isn't much different than most business plan competitions.
But here's the twist. Communities compete with incentive packages to attract the best entrepreneurs. The communities come up with the reward.
Instead of chasing the next company moving from Michigan the Mexico with incentive deals, participating communities design incentive packages to attract these promising young entrepreneurs.

My Purdue colleague, Scott Hutchison, is in the middle of the team implementing this initiative statewide. He's promoting the program to communities by encouraging them to think broadly about the different incentive packages that they can put together.
So, for example, a local health system to provide low-cost or no-cost health insurance to employees of the new company. Real estate developers could offer real estate packages that include both live and work spaces. Local restaurants could provide vouchers for free or reduced price meals. The downtown association could provide "shopping cards".
Accounting and law firms could offer reduced rate or free services. Local governments could offer a concierge service to help the new company navigate government regulations and programs. Community banks could band together to provide attractive financing packages. Angel investors could come together to mentor the new company. The local YMCA could offer free memberships. The list goes on.

This initiative doesn't cost the state government a dime. At the same time, it redirects local economic developers and civic leaders to the real source of future prosperity in their communities.

Brilliant.

A week ago, the Council on Competitiveness released a report that makes a dramatic, urgent call for a renewed focus on manufacturing as the "cornerstone of American independence, economic prosperity and national security". The report concludes that manufacturing's competitiveness demands igniting innovation.

The report goes on to set forth an array of actions that can improve the future trajectory of U.S. manufacturing firms. Read more.