Top economic development policy experts from throughout the nation will converge on Morgantown in October to share information about the best ways to improve regional economies – information that could help guide the government’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) decisions for years to come.
The experts will be attending the first annual Economic Development Administration Economic Development Research Symposium at Morgantown’s Clarion Hotel on Oct. 21 and 22.
West Virginia University’s Regional Research Institute (RRI) helped plan the event and will co-host with EDA. Randall Jackson is director of the WVU RRI.
“Some of the key movers and shakers in the world of regional economic development will be coming to Morgantown for this symposium,” Jackson said. “EDA is a part of the U.S. Department of Commerce and we are pleased that our region will be hosting, as important policy options are discussed that could impact the whole nation.”
He said that the Morgantown region, which has displayed economic resiliency during the difficulties of 2008-2009, will be on display for symposium participants and presenters who hail from such points of origin as Arizona, California and Florida.
“The symposium will give experts from prestigious institutions the opportunity to share thoughts and theories that will help guide policy makers concerned with the challenge of improving economic development,” Jackson said. “It doesn’t hurt the discussions to have them occur in a city that has weathered the storm of recession quite well.”
The symposium agenda will include presentations by EDA’s assistant secretary for economic development and representatives of the Purdue University Center for Regional Development, the Indiana Business Research Center, the Arizona State University School of Geographical Sciences, the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Community Innovation, Florida International University’s Department of Public Administration, George Mason University’s Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science, the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, the National Academies of Science and Savannah River National Laboratory.
Symposium participants will present research and discuss policy implications on a wide range of economic development issues, including: the potential of industry and occupation clusters; methods for measuring regional innovation; the role of the green economy; the geographic distribution of U.S. unemployment; strategies for promoting economic resiliency; and the implications of this research on national economic development policy.
Jackson said the event can have a significant impact on future EDA policy affecting the agency’s activity. Interested persons can learn more about the symposium by contacting Jackson at randall.jackson@mail.wvu.edu or Hillary Sherman-Zelenka of EDA at hsherman@eda.doc.gov.
Founded in 1965, WVU’s RRI creates learning opportunities and provides research support for faculty members and students, while serving as an internationally prominent center for the advancement of regional science.
The Institute sponsors scholarly seminars and workshops and provides seed grants to tenured and tenure track WVU faculty with interests in the economy, land use, environment, energy, industry and socio-economic welfare and human environmental interactions.
More than $1 million in externally funded research is currently under way at the Institute, with support from the EDA, the USDA, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Energy through the National Energy Technology Laboratory.
Since 1999, the Institute has published the Web Book of Regional Science, which makes it possible for instructors to choose from a menu to design courses that are appropriate for their students. The Web Book is a valuable learning resource used world-wide by teachers and professionals alike.
09/30/09
CONTACT: Randall Jackson
(304) 293-8734; Randall.Jackson@mail.wvu.edu