Interview with Bruce Katz: The Next Economy
In the second episode of Metro Matters, Next American City talks with Bruce Katz, co-founder and vice president of Brookings’ Metropolitan Policy Program, about the next economy for the United States. In a far-ranging conversation, Katz serves up a vision for a low-carbon, innovation-fueled economy, and explains why the Great Lakes Region can once again be the leader of the country’s export industry. With talking points on China, the Tea Party, and Detroit, this is an episode you don’t want to miss. Subscribe to Metro Matters in iTunes
Download this episode (15 MB), or listen online:
Gary in Northeast on Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 9:21am
I thought your guest had some interesting points but I also thought it interesting that he completely fails to understand the Tea Party Movement. He stated that they want to live in a previous century and that they need to update their views to move forward with the real world. Then he went on to say not one single thing that was at odds with the Tea Party platform.
It seems you guys have become confused between Republicans and the Tea Party movement that the Republicans would so much like to co-opt. The Tea Party started because Congress has failed to listen to the will of the people AND has repeatedly violated the governing laws of the land (specifically the Constitution). The group is made up of people of all colors and all political bents. Unless your guest was specifically suggesting that cities should be revived against their wills by the imposition of Federal mandates carried out at gunpoint, then he has no quarrel with the Tea Partiers on the substance of this interview.
I also thought that his ideas for Detroit need some refining. Detroit has so many major issues that just pulling back the borders of the city and creating a Mad Max zone around the borders will not solve anything. Something has to be done to clear away the no-mans-land around Detroit in a manner that does not violate the founding principles of this country (ie. not using heavily armed squads to do it).
I would suggest that if he wanted to institute his ideas for a new economy, that he try making that new economy an attractive option to people. Only the planned economies of the Stalinist states of the 20th century would try and force a change. Frankly, they failed because humans don’t work that way. if the government (local/state/federal) can find a way to make an idea or lifestyle attractive either through incentives or tax breaks then the people who will actually found the new businesses and work in the new industries will naturally follow their own self interest. If you try and force the same issue, people will naturally push back resulting in a failed program that costs money and ruins lives through enforcement actions.
Gary in Northeast on Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 9:22am
Oh, and thanks again for the download link. :)