New Report Says North Carolina ED Efforts Not Well Coordinated

A new report by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) concludes that not enough is being done to coordinate economic development by state government and regional economic development groups.

The report was prepared for state's General Assembly, which is exploring new avenues for strengthening future economic development efforts.

One source of debate is how much future attention should be given to new business recruitment and existing business assistance. The UNC report recommends greater attention to retention and expansion in the future.

Reaction by regional and local economic developers was not overly positive. They counter that things are not as bad as the university report depicts them. Is there room for improvement? Most say yes.

In perspective, North Carolina has had an effective economic development strategy that has produced tangible results across the state. While poverty and unemployment remain major challenges in many parts of the state, our view is that North Carolina has exercised positive leadership in economic development. Its aggressive approach coupled with strategic investment in its universities, Research Triangle Park and other resources are role models for EDO’s nationally and internationally.

Probably it is time to explore new organizational models to improve the overall delivery system. As we have suggested in earlier ED Futures articles, we think the future push should be to form national and global partnerships that extend our economic development reach. For North Carolina to move to the next level, it needs to do more than simply improve coordination of efforts between the state and the regions.

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