Ideas and Dollars: How Cultural Economic Development "makes cents" for Michigan

As the economic landscape is transformed from a manufacturing to a knowledge economy, Michigan communties are also changing their understanding of the role arts and culture play in the globally competitive environment. Creative and cultural assets in local communities are seen as both a source of jobs and an important factor in increasing community competitiveness. The convergence of creativity and technology are critical to inventing our way to prosperity. The theme of the 2005 Summer Institute is the role of the "cultural economy" in generating and supporting economic development. Attendees will examine relationships among arts, culture, innovation, job creation and wealth generation. The conference will also include discussion of effects of entrepreneurship, cultural creativity, and education on economic development and community prosperity.

Sixteeth Annual Summer Institute, June 26, 2003

Today's most technologically advanced economies and highest paying jobs are increasingly knowledge-based. Knowledge has become the most important factor determining standard of living. But what is a knowledge economy? How has the role of economic development practitioners changed as they work with distressed communities in the knowledge economy? Is publicly funded economic development keeping pace with the changes in the knowledge economy and serving the public interest in the areas of job creation, tax-base enhancement and community revitalization?
Advocates for the economic revitalization of distressed communities will need the skills to help such communities release all the creative potential within their borders to be competitive in a rapidly changing economic environment. Summer Institute 2003 will examinethe facts, the fads, and the fantasies of the knowledge economy and economic development as it is emerging in the new millennium.

Fifteenth Annual Summer Institute, July 11, 2002,

Skating on thin ice. Is that your picture of our present economic and social environment? Or is our economy rock-solid? Depending upon where you sit, your answer will certainly vary. However, all of us are affected by the expanding global economy and the international debates on terrorism and human rights. It seems that the global financial marketplace ebbs and flows with unnerving ease.
If distressed communities are to successfully seize the opportunities and overcome the challenges of economic development in these turbulent times, community leaders, economic development professionals and students of development will need to examine the fundamental elements of community: their people, places, financial resources, and ability to plan for the future.
The presentations and workshops of the 2002 Summer Institute will emphasize these fundamental issues of community economies. Count yourself among Michigan's thoughtful practitioners

Fourteenth Annual Summer Institute, July 10, 2001

Development in an Information Society The 2001 Summer Institute will explore the transformation of the nature of work in the 21st century. It builds on last year s Institute by continuing a focus on a technology-based economy and the many aspects of the Digital Divide that keep poor, immigrant, and other underutilized workers from participating in the economy.
To ensure full participation in the emerging digital economy for all Americans, it is critical that workforce development efforts take into account the importance of Information Technology. This year's Summer Institute will feature workshops on Information Technology skill development for the emerging workforce, the underutilized workforce, and the existing workforce, and an examination of state and local level policies that may encourage workforce development in an Information Technology society.

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Opportunities for CBOs and Low Income Communities, Thirteenth Annual Summer Institute, June 8, 2000

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) reported in 1999 that although the number of Americans connected to the nation's information infrastructure was soaring, many groups who lack access to information resources remained. The 2000 Summer Institute, "Discovering the Digital Frontier: Opportunities for Community Based Organizations and Low Income Communities", will address the issue of the Digital Divide in Michigan's communities. The rate of technological progress and change contributes to growing social and economic inequities, as the widening gap between the technology haves and have-nots exacerbates educational and employment disparities. At issue is access to not only the technology and necessary infrastructure, but also the information and skills to use technology effectively.
The conference seeks to provide an insight into these areas by examining how the Digital Divide can be bridged through: economic development and infrastructure planning practices; information technology skill development and education; methods for community based organizations to access and use information technology; and the successful use of E-Commerce by nonprofits for community development.

Twelfth Annual Summer Institute, July 8, 1999

MP/EDA Summer Institue will focus on Sustainable indicators: exploring the diverse concepts defining sustainablility, and the role of citizens and CBO's in assessing and creating sustainable communities.
Sustainable indicators are a revealing way to measure performance. They may be used to evaluate the impact of policies, community and economic development programs, and to identify problem areas in our communities today. Understanding the concept of susainable indicators is fundametal to ensuring the long term well being of our communities.
The 1999 Summer Institute focuses on examining outr current capacity to describe the sustainable characteristice of successful communities, and with the active participation of communities in Michigan, seeks to apply these concepts and practices throughout our state.

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