Toward a National Strategic Investment Framework

Abstract:     
This paper brings together three major themes in laying out a roadmap for the economic vitality of the United States in the global arena of the 21st century. First, megaregions, in the US and around the world are become the crucibles of economic growth and development as they compete across, if not more than within, national borders. Second, national policies can encourage and facilitate regions in this competition, but especially in view of the cumbersome governing processes in place today in the US, policies must be outcome-based to simultaneously achieve economic development, environmental protection, and equity. Third, the greatest challenge to realizing this approach is the resistance from existing institutions and interests in moving to outcome-based policy.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 30

Keywords: megaregions, regions, infrastructure, outcome-based policy, Southern

working papers series