Library

Reports: Business competitiveness

Early childhood education as an essential component of economic development, with reference to the New England states
Political Economy Research Institute, January 2013, 39 pp.
Discusses research findings on early childhood education programs and discusses how the universal provision of high quality early childhood education programs can make significant positive contributions to economic development, as well as general social well-being. more info >

State entrepreneurship index
University of Nebraska - Lincoln Bureau of Business Research, September 2012, 20 pp.
Annual state-by-state look at economic strength measures such as entrepreneurship, net migration, and capital formation. more info >

Nonprofit mergers
Wilder Research, July 2012, 128 pp.
To help organizations and their funders assess merger as an option, MAP for Nonprofits joined with Wilder Research to conduct a multi-phase study to identify factors that influence merger outcomes and characteristics of successful mergers. more info >

Local food systems as regional economic drivers in southern Minnesota
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, The McKnight Foundation, June 2012, 52 pp.
Explores the economic aspects of local food systems and how they can create economic growth. It includes findings from interviews with food and farm entrepreneurs in the southeast region of Minnesota. more info >

Governor's job summit 2011: Getting Minnesota working again
Governor's Workforce Development Council, November 2011, 9 pp.
The 2011 Governor’s Job Summit on Oct. 25 provided a clear sense of steps needed to get Minnesota working again. Priorities include: increasing access to capital for new businesses and small businesses; aligning the education system to employment needs; and investing in state infrastructure. more info >

Accelerate: A Minneapolis St. Paul regional prospecture for stimulating the entrepreneurial ecosystem
Brookings Institution, April 2011, 16 pp.
Outlines a strategy under development that will use the metropolitan area's core strengths to stimulate the formation and growth of new businesses across industries. more info >

The Minneapolis St. Paul regional business plan
Brookings Institution, April 2011, 80 pp.
This report discusses the Minneapolis-Saint Paul region’s successful shift from a ‘resource economy’ to a ‘knowledge economy and describes a strategic course of action for the region to make the shift into the “next economy.” more info >

Pilot study: Estimating rural and urban Minnesota's interdependencies
Minnesota Rural Partners, April 2011, 48 pp.
Illustrates the economic importance of rural Minnesota to all of Minnesota's economic health and well being. more info >

Soul of the Community: Grand Forks
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, February 2011, 20 pp.
This study was conducted over three years in 26 cities across the United States where Knight Foundation is active. It was designed to find out what emotionally attaches people to a community and what makes them want to put down roots and build a life there. more info >

Charting a new course: Restoring job growth in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region
Itasca Project, April 2010, 28 pp.
Identifies strategies and policies the region could employ to create, attract, and retain quality jobs. Strategic priorities identified include: addressing the cost of doing business; developing a vision, strategy, and approach for regional economic development; and enhancing entrepreneurship and innovation. more info >

Building communities for a lifetime in Minnesota: A report to the 2010 Minnesota Legislature
Minnesota Board on Aging, February 2010, 43 pp.
The Minnesota Board on Aging explored designating Minnesota "Communities for a Lifetime," or community settings that foster healthy and successful aging. They looked at national and local models, sought stakeholder input, looked at requirements for administering such a program, and made recommendations based on the results. more info >

Recommendations for a Minnesota science & technology initiative
Minnesota Science and Technology Economic Development Project Committee, January 2010, 52 pp.
Proposes a Minnesota science and technology initiative based on a review of initiatives in other states. Argues that a science and technology plan is critical for Minnesota to remain competitive. more info >

Smart economic growth for Minnesota: Getting it right in tough times and beyond
Growth & Justice, March 2009, 21 pp.
This report presents approaches and policy principles to inform economic development, explores the public sector role in economic development, and explains the potential drivers of economic growth. more info >

Beginning Again North Dakota: An asset-based development program for rural communities using a community capitals framework
North Dakota State University, January 2009, 76 pp.
Presents an approach to rural community economic development. It is intended to improve residents' quality of life, promote a stronger local economy, and enhance the region's environmental health. more info >

Small business survival index 2008: Ranking the policy environment for entrepreneurship across the nation
Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, December 2008, 45 pp.
Ranks the 50 states and District of Columbia in terms of which ones offer the most conducive environment for small business. The Index covers 34 major government-imposed or government-related costs affecting small businesses and entrepreneurs. The measures are added together for an overall rating. Factors included in the index include personal and corporate income tax, individual and corporate alternative minimum tax, property taxes, health care regulation, electricity costs, state minimum wage, and more. Provides state rankings for individual measures and overall. Minnesota ranks 46th overall. more info >

Preparing Minnesota's workforce for tomorrow's economy
Governor's Workforce Development Council, November 2008, 24 pp.
The Council's recommendations for preparing Minnesota's workforce for the future. Committees identified problems and provided recommendations in the areas of business and community connections, diversity, education, and skill and wage advancement. more info >

Reach higher, America: Overcoming crisis in the U.S. workforce
National Commission on Adult Literacy, June 2008, 76 pp.
Although the American economy increasingly requires that most workers have some postsecondary education or occupational training to be ready for employment, the country is moving further away from that goal. A significant number of adults face educational barriers that mean they will fall behind in their struggle to get higher wage jobs or qualify for college or job training. This report offers an analysis and recommendations on ways to increase the competitiveness of the American workforce. more info >

Ethnic capital and Minnesota's future: Mexican Americans in Minnesota
Bruce P. Corrie, June 2008, 81 pp.
Using a series of policy scenarios, the author documents the economic contributions of Mexican Americans in Minnesota. more info >

2007 Minnesota Business Barometer Survey, Year 4
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, September 2007, 50 pp.
Results of an annual poll of state businesses. Respondents were asked about the state’s most pressing issues, including health care, transportation, education, and the business economy. more info >

Artists' centers: Evolution and impact on careers, neighborhoods and economies
University of Minnesota, February 2006, 113 pp.
Looks at the impact of artists' centers on artists and on regions and neighborhoods, how artists' centers have developed in Minnesota, and provides policy recommendations for those wishing to start or improve upon existing artists' centers. more info >

Mind the gap: Reducing disparities to improve regional competitiveness in the Twin Cities
Brookings Institution, October 2005, 44 pp.
A look at race, class, and place disparities in the Twin Cities and why reducing them is important to build a more competitive workforce, bring more money into the region, and make the region stronger and more competitive. Also presents a policy framework for reducing disparities. more info >

Opening opportunities, building ownership : fulfilling the promise of microenterprise in the United States
Aspen Institute, January 2005, 127 pp.
Offers an explanation of the context and scope of microenterprise in the United States and describes some of the factors driving low-income Americans toward self-employment. Articulates ways to help transform the field and position it for long-term growth and sustainability. more info >

The building blocks of community development
MDC, Inc., November 2001, 15 pp.
Outlines six building blocks of economic prosperity within a community: business development, workforce development, physical infrastructure, social infrastructure, cultural and environmental stewardship, and civic infrastructure. more info >