Global Economic Linkages

This webinar featured an overview of the newly released NLC guide, “Strategies for Globally Competitive Cities: Local Roles in Foreign Investment and International Trade,” and offered reflections from local leaders in the field.

The guide provides practical strategies, resources and promising practices to help local leaders and practitioners enhance the global competitiveness of their communities. In particular, the guide focuses on foreign direct investment (FDI) and international trade — two areas in which local leaders can have a true impact in their roles as catalysts, conveners and connectors.

Experts from all levels of government, business, and academia came together to discuss the opportunities and challenges of foreign direct investment and trade promotion at this leadership academy.  Webcasts from this event highlight strategies, case studies and the local realities of global economic development.

This webcast features presenters from the U.S. Departments of Commerce and State at NLC’s Congressional Cities Conference, and focuses on federal resources available to assist communities in foreign direct investment and international trade.

Distrustful, inward-looking and even smug…U.S. local officials have been called it all when it comes to describing their attitudes toward establishing global economic  linkages. But is this perception correct?   NLC  Finance and Economic Development Director Christiana McFarland’s Citiesspeak.org blog post suggests that it’s time to take a second look at what’s really happening in cities. 

Experts from all levels of government, business, and academia came together to discuss the opportunities and challenges of foreign direct investment and trade promotion at this leadership academy. This Nation's Cities Weekly article summarizes the events that took place at the academy.

The U.S. Department of Treasury Senior Coordinator & Executive Secretary for China and the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, David Loevinger, explains why fostering globally focused relationships is important. 

U.S. Trade Ambassador Ron Kirk spends much of his time as Trade Ambassador doing what he did as the former Mayor of Dallas Texas – thinking about how to help small business succeed in a global economy.  This Citiespeak.org blog post explains why his time as mayor is helping him as a trade ambassador.

In today’s economy, cities compete against metropolitan regions across the globe, and a city’s success is inherently tied to how well it can foster relationships regionally.  Cities are responding, making their regions more competitive by collaborating regionally and supporting their local business communities as shown in this Nations Cities Weekly article.

The Economist magazine reported “a deep-seated movement of economic power away from rich nations towards emerging markets” is occurring “faster than was thought”.  Many say these changes have direct implications for American cities and city leaders; this Nation’s Cities Weekly urges leaders to think and act both globally and locally.

Export growth has long been touted as a key to overall economic growth.  Cities can provide export assistance to small businesses by serving as information conduits, nurturing infrastructure for entrepreneurship, and establishing trade relationships.  This Nation’s Cities Weekly article explains how.