Economic Growth Program

Congestion and exorbitant real estate prices in America’s major metropolitan centers are just a couple of factors driving people and businesses to give smaller cities such as Duluth a second look, said Joel Kotkin, a senior fellow for the New America Foundation. The foundation is a nonprofit public policy institute headquartered in Washington, D.C.

“People are looking for places where they can still live the American dream,” he said, suggesting that Duluth could fit the bill, during a visit to the… more

The U.S. population is expected to grow by 100 million people in the next four decades, all of whom will need a place to live.

A new study suggests cities like Fargo will be a natural choice if communities capitalize on their advantages.

Bottom line is, you've got a hundred million more people who have to go somewhere, said Joel Kotkin, a senior fellow with the New America Foundation, which has issued a report that sees the nations heartland playing… more

If the U.S. economy falls into recession, or avoids it but has an extended period of very slow growth, it will be tougher to fight off protectionist policies that will hurt the economy in the long run, analysts said Oct. 30.

This was one concern voiced at a conference on U.S. growth challenges sponsored by the New America Foundation, a Washington think tank. There was also general agreement on those challenges including the immediate ramifications of the housing slump, the trade… more

This important New America conference features some of the nation's foremost economic experts. Video of the complete event is available at right.

Two new papers from our Economic Growth Program are being released as well -- one detailing the larger growth agenda, the other focused on developing America's Heartland. Both documents are now available below.

Over the past decade and half, two pivotal developments have come together to create the conditions for what could be a new golden era of faster economic growth and rising prosperity. One development involves the technological advancements and other changes associated with the new economy, which have substantially increased U.S. and world productivity growth. The bursting of the tech bubble in 2000 may have put an end to the hype surrounding the new economy. But it did not undo the… more

The New America Foundation launched its Economic Growth Program and introduced Bruce Stokes, International Economics Columnist with National Journal, as the director of the Program at a major policy conference today in Washington. New America also released the Program’s first report, “Realizing America’s Economic Potential: A Growth Agenda for the New Abundant Economy,” which shows how our nation’s policy approach must change to meet the challenges associated with a world economy of higher productivity growth and abundant… more

From its inception as a nation, America's great advantage over its global rivals has stemmed largely from the successful development of its vast interior. The Heartland has been both the incubator of national identity and an outlet for the entrepreneurial energies of both immigrants and those living in dense urban areas.

The term "Heartland" is commonly used to describe the region west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains. This region constitutes the primary focus… more

The spread of new technologies and production practices, along with a worldwide abundance of capital and labor, have created the conditions for rapid world economic growth and for a new era of rising global prosperity. Because of its inherent strengths, the U.S. economy could help drive this growth as well as benefit from the enormous wealth created by it. Strong economic growth in turn can help alleviate if not solve many of the most daunting problems confronting the United States,… more

As part of our annual report, Inc. studied 393 population centers across the nation, identifying job creation and other signs of business vitality. What did we find? The big cities are idling, and the real entrepreneurial hot spots are on the periphery -- where low costs and favorable regulatory environments make it possible to thrive.

Which metropolitan areas are really booming? Here, you'll find a searchable database, the full 2006 rankings broken down by small, medium, and large cities,… more

Thanks to the digital revolution, people, companies, and industries can increasingly choose to locate anywhere, making regions with a good quality of life increasingly attractive as economic centers of activity. In this regard, the Heartland, that vast expansion of America from the Middle West to the Mountain West, has enormous underutilized and untapped resources -- from low housing costs and good schools to a favorable business climate, plentiful land and other natural resources -- that make it a potentially attractive… more