By Matthew Tester, Project Associate.   We talk a lot about the virtues of innovation here at Market Street, and recognize – along with most economic analysts – that entrepreneurs and small businesses will drive the bulk of employment growth as America fights to recover from the Great Recession. As typically applied in our world, “innovation” refers to science and technology arenas and is to be nurtured via robust academic research and high-tech incubation space. The importance of...

By Will Corbin, Project Associate.   If you are familiar with me or have read my previous blogs, then you know that I am a big proponent of public-private partnerships, especially when it comes to economic and community development. I believe that one of the government’s main responsibilities is to help ensure the social and economic well-being of its citizens. At the same time, however, this task should not fall solely upon the government. In my March 25, 2010 blog post, Governments...

By Will Corbin, Project Associate.    The harsh economic realities of the present day have forced local government leadership to rely more on private organizations and non-profits in order to spur economic and community development. Public-private partnerships like this represent one of the many ways successful communities sustain positive development.   One of the main roles of local governments across the United States is providing public services to citizens in...

By Christa Tinsley, Project Associate.  This Monday marked the launch of President Obama’s summer service program and its accompanying website, Serve.gov . The campaign runs from June 22 to September 11, with education, health, community renewal, and energy and environment identified as priority areas. Americans are encouraged to search for a service project on the site or submit one of their own. Some might wonder why the White House is encouraging people to volunteer – essentially work...

I graduated from college during our last economic recession.  Prompted by an utter lack of promising job opportunities and a longstanding interest in volunteering, I decided to volunteer with AmeriCorps for a year in rural Oregon.   The program offered a lot of benefits including a small monthly living stipend, graduate school credit, and an educational stipend to help pay off a portion of my student loans – all highly effective means to incentivize young people into public service.  Working as...