A Way Forward:

by Gitterman, Daniel P.; Coclanis, Peter A.

• ISBN13: 9780807873359
• ISBN10: 0807873357
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-12-19
• Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Pr

Summary

Immense changes have come about in both North Carolina and the South more broadly in the last half century. Both the state and the region as a whole experienced rapid economic growth in the second half of the twentieth century, and living standards for the vast majority of the population in the South improved dramatically. By the mid-1980s, sufficient time had elapsed so that the South's postwar economic record could be placed in a broader and more balanced historical context, a task that seemed particularly important because signs of economic distress had begun to surface in both the state and the region as a whole. And, once again, much of the best analysis emanated from North Carolina, this time from two Triangle-based research organizations, the Southern Growth Policies Board (SGPB) and MDC. Both of these organizations had close ties to UNC and to Chapel Hill, and their 1986 reports--the SGPB's Halfway Home and a Long Way to Go and MDC's Shadows in the Sunbelt--are considered two of the best assessments of the achievements and limitations of the so-called Sunbelt boom. Some of these changes in the broader global economy have proven enormously beneficial, while others have led to dislocations and still others to economic devastation and social despair. The 25 years since the issuance of these reports have been marked by profound economic changes from which neither North Carolina nor the South has been spared. Given the magnitude of change, 2011 seemed to principals at the Global Research Institute a good time to take another look at these famous objectives, to assess how the recommendations contained therein held up over time, to offer fresh analyses of the economic challenges facing both North Carolina and the South, and to lay out some new ideas about how to forge ahead. This 220 page report summarizes the findings of these analyses, and features more than 30 essays containing key recommendations and strategies for building a more globally competitive South. Readers will discover ways we can work collaboratively to build on North Carolina's tradition as a leader in the South, and ensure the state's future competitiveness.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. 6
Acknowledgments	p. 7
Introduction
Lessons from the Past and A Way Forward	p. 8
Defining the South	p. 10
The South and 20th-Century Economic History
Southern Economic Commentary in Historical Perspective	p. 12
The Rural South and the Burden of the Past	p. 17
African American Economic Progress and the Post-Civil Rights South	p. 26
The Knowledge Economy and the Crisis of Economic Development Policy in South Carolina, 1986-2011	p. 31
25 Years Later: Revisiting Halfway Home and Shadows in the Sunbelt 1986-2011
Revisiting the 1986 Commission on the Future of the South's Halfway Home and a Long Way to Go	p. 35
The Southern "Consensus" on Education and Economic Development	p. 37
Providing a Nationally Competitive Education for all Students
Southern Education Progress: Half Past Halfway, but Still a Ways to Go	p. 46
Treading Water: K-12 Educational Attainment in the South and North Carolina	p. 54
Assessing Progress: Almost Home?	p. 57
Preparing a Flexible, Globally Competitive Workforce
Toward a "Globally Competitive" Southern Workforce	p. 67
The American South in the Global Economy	p. 73
Public Universities in a New Economic Era
Our Southern Universities as Engines of Innovation	p. 79
The Relevant University	p. 83
North Carolina Community Colleges and a New Economic Landscape	p. 89
The Unique Role of Southern Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Economic Development	p. 92
Increasing the Economic Development Role of Higher Education
Shadows and Light on the Way Home: The University of North Carolina's Role in Higher Education and Economic Development	p. 96
State Investment in Higher Education: Rethinking the Impact on Economic Growth	p. 100
University and Community: What Is the Role for Economic Development?	p. 105
Increasing the South's Capacity to Innovate and Implement New Economic Development Strategies
Southern Industrialization Revisited: Industrial Recruitment as a Strategic Tool for Local Economic Development	p. 109
Southern Regional Innovation Strategies	p. 115
North Carolina's Board of Science and Technology. A Model for Guiding Technology-Based Economic Development in the South	p. 120
Infrastructure and Rural Economic Development: The Case of a Rural Broadband Initiative	p. 128
Infrastructure, Southern Style	p. 128
Urban, Rural, and Green
The New Metro American South	p. 131
Closing the Urban-Rural Gap: The Future of North Carolina and the South	p. 135
The Future of the Green South	p. 140
Work, the Safety Net, and Faith
Creating "Good Jobs" in North Carolina and the South	p. 148
Will the Government Strengthen at-Risk Families?	p. 152
Faith-Based Nonprofits and the Social Safety Net in the South	p. 156
A Changing Southern Demography
Disruptive Demographics and the American South	p. 159
Generation Z and North Carolina's Future	p. 165
The Old in the New Economy: Challenges and Opportunities for the South and North Carolina	p. 168
Adapting to a Plural Culture and the Future of the South	p. 173
Southern Politics and Policy: Then, Now, and Tomorrow
On Terry Sanford's Legacy for Southern Progressives Today	p. 179
Southern Poverty, Southern Politics	p. 185
Getting Past Our Civil War Hangover and Moving toward Real Southern Progress	p. 188
Visions for the Future of the South
Southern-Style Creativity: New Methods for Tackling Nagging Challenges in the Next 25 Years	p. 193
Strategic Philanthropy and the State of the South	p. 199
Globalization and Urbanization: The Changing Context of Competition	p. 204
Conclusion
The Future of the South and A Way Forward	p. 209
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