Emerging Policy Triangle: Economic Development, Workforce Development and Education
| Title: | Emerging Policy Triangle: Economic Development, Workforce Development and Education |
| Author: | Jones, Dennis P. Kelly, Patrick J. |
| Date: | 2007 |
| Catalog #: | |
| Price: | FREE |
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| Description: |
Updated Profiles for All 50 States and Including International Comparative Data.
Few issues unite policymakers in quite the same way as that of economic development. Whether their responsibilities are national, state, regional, or local in nature, individuals whose job it is to make and implement public policy find common ground in their interests in ensuring economic growth and prosperity. All understand that the American way of life is fundamentally dependent on economic competitiveness. They also understand the rest of the equation—strong economies are characterized by an abundance of well-paying jobs and, overwhelmingly, well-paying jobs are held by individuals who have knowledge and skills obtained through education beyond high school. Where physical capital drives industrial economies, human capital drives economies in the information age.
In November 2004 WICHE published the original version of The Emerging Policy Triangle: Economic Development, Workforce Development, and Education. This report was funded through a grant from the Ford Foundation – entitled Expanding Engagement: Public Policy to Meet State and Regional Needs – which sought to better inform legislators and other key policymakers about a confluence of forces bearing down on higher education and the resulting impacts to state goals and priorities. The analysis, prepared by Dennis Jones and Patrick Kelly of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems argued that state policymakers needed to pay greater attention to the role of education – especially postsecondary education – in meeting state workforce and economic development goals. Using an array of data, the report highlighted the ways in which a state’s stock of human capital is depleted and replenished through education, migration, and the aging of the workforce (i.e., retirements). In its appendix, the report provided profiles containing key related indicators for the 15 member states of WICHE. |