This survey provides a snapshot of recent economic development in six regions of the United States. We have had to be somewhat selective in summarizing the individual reports , which we urge readers to consult for full details. Obviously, this survey is not the complete picture. Besides the six cases we elected to research, there are many more examples of successful regional economic development in the United States. We could not do them all, but we have learned from this exercise that it should be possible for Europeans involved in regional economic development to identify regions of interest in the U.S., and to find out how economic development was pursued and achieved there.
Information is key in the knowledge-based economy.
That information is surprisingly accessible, as we learned in preparing this survey. Vast amounts of information are available on the Internet, and some of those Internet websites are referenced below. Virtually every state and large metropolitan region in the U.S. maintains an economic development office, often in cooperation with local business groups and universities. Many resources are also available at the national level - the list below is a brief sample. Copyright European Union, 2000.