Innovative State and City Government Solutions to Watch in 2012

Although the Great Recession officially ended in June 2009, communities throughout the United States are still struggling to cope with the effects of the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression. Unemployment is 8.6 percent, and income inequality is at its highest levels in decades. Despite incremental improvements over the course of 2011, metropolitan areas across America continue to suffer from sluggish hiring and lackluster growth.

As the nation inches toward economic recovery, it’s become increasingly apparent that restoring prosperity is not just a matter of bouncing back and returning to business as usual. Business as usual is what got us here. Instead, we need to move toward a new economic growth model, a next economy that prizes production over consumption, true innovation over financial wizardry and long-term growth over short-term speculation.