by James Brooks

In an era of globalization, local, regional and national economies and societies are all positively and negatively affected, regardless of the actions of municipal, county, state and national governments.

Since local government officials are not expected to be experts in the global economy, what are elected policymakers in America supposed to do?

To answer this question, NLC has prepared a short issue paper, ?Globalization and Economic Vitality in U.S. Cities and Towns,? to provide guidance to municipal officials who are responsible for nurturing economic vitality in the face of often harsh global forces that can be challenging. The paper is part of an ongoing body of work developed by NLC on this topic.

The paper discusses the need for local governments to act in collaboration with regional partners in order to build and sustain economic vitality. Upon reading the report, elected community leaders can initiate the process of exploring the fundamental strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the region?s economy.

The paper suggests ways that this information can be used to take action, once a city or town has assessed its advantages. Examples of programs from several cities of various population sizes are provided as part of this overview.

The 2006 Futures Report from the NLC Advisory Council will provide an overview of globalization issues. It will be released to delegates at the Congress of Cities and Exposition in Reno, Nev., Dec. 5-9.

Details: Download the ?Globalization and Economic Vitality in U.S. Cities and Towns? issue paper. Visit the International Programs page for more information about this subject and related topics.  To receive an e-mail copy of the issue paper, contact the author at brooks@nlc.org.