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Rick Haglund: Can rural economies be saved?
As part of her $5.6 billion COVID-19 recovery plan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently announced she was creating an Office of Rural Development to tackle the lack of broadband internet, talent, public infrastructure and other deficiencies in struggling rural communities. In Washington, President Joe Biden is being urged to appoint a rural czar who would lead […]
Rick Haglund: Building fairer local economies is one tool to blunt right-wing extremism
Over the past several months, I’ve read articles in which the authors asserted that economic decline in small towns and old industrial cities has fueled nativism, populism and nostalgia for the past — the hallmarks of Trumpism. This is said to be especially true in Michigan and other upper Midwest communities that have lost thousands […]
Rick Haglund: Are some Republicans gearing up for a tax incentive fight next year?
It occurred to me the other day that I’ve been writing about the business tax incentives controversy since the start of my journalism career 45 years ago. I accept your condolences in advance. One of the early stories I covered in my first job at a northern Michigan weekly newspaper was a request by the […]
Rick Haglund: Restoring Michigan’s economy will require more federal COVID-19 relief
President Donald Trump whined during an Oct. 27 campaign rally in Lansing that there was too much television news coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 260,000 Americans—more than double the population of Michigan’s capital city. “It’s COVID, COVID, COVID. You can’t watch anything else,” Trump said. “On Nov. 4, you won’t […]
Rick Haglund: U.S. automakers want help from ‘car guy’ Biden on electric vehicles push
Corporations and industry groups congratulated President-elect Joe Biden on winning the White House, as is their custom during transitions of power. But General Motors went a step beyond the typical platitudes and niceties by telling Biden exactly what it’s seeking from Washington: “We look forward to working with the new administration and incoming Congress on […]
Rick Haglund: Illinois may raise taxes on the rich. Michigan could be next.
Tuesday’s election is largely a referendum on the record and character of President Donald Trump. But Illinois voters are also deciding a proposed and highly contentious constitutional amendment that portends a similar battle in Michigan. The so-called “fair tax” proposal on the Illinois ballot would shift the state from a fixed-rate income tax, in which […]
Rick Haglund: Michigan’s economy could take a beating after ruling against Whitmer’s COVID-19 orders
Now that the state Supreme Court has struck down a 1945 law that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer repeatedly used to issue executive orders in the fight against the deadly COVID-19 virus, where is Michigan’s economy headed? Some might argue that the state’s economy, which has regained 593,100 jobs since April’s employment collapse, could boom as businesses […]
Rick Haglund: Tackling climate change is the smart move for local governments, businesses
Brandy Brown faced skepticism about climate change from the day she accepted her job as the head of the Michigan Office of Climate and Energy. “Brandy, that climate change stuff isn’t real,” Brown said a longtime friend told her when she was appointed to lead the office last year. Her friend’s denial of climate change […]
Rick Haglund: Blacks have lost ground in Michigan — and it’s dragging down the economy
In his long career as a University of Michigan labor economist, Don Grimes never focused his research on race-based income inequality. “I’ve always believed in the power of markets,” Grimes told me. “I figured the markets would sort this out.” But a new study he, and U of M colleagues Gabriel Ehrlich and Michael McWilliams […]
Rick Haglund: Why does Michigan still lag in the race to attract and keep talent?
Local officials cheered Amazon’s recent announcement that it would build a $400 million distribution center, promising 1,200 jobs at the long-vacant Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit. “We need good-paying jobs and jobs of the future,” Mayor Mike Duggan said about the positions, which are expected to pay about $15 an hour, plus benefits. State Sen. […]
Rick Haglund: Brophy is ‘fairly bullish’ on tech, life sciences in Michigan
David Brophy, a University of Michigan finance professor, remembers getting the call from then-Gov. William Milliken in the late 1970s as Michigan was heading into a deep economic recession. Detroit’s automakers were struggling to compete with nimble Japanese rivals that were building small, fuel-efficient cars consumers demanded during an era of high gasoline prices. Iconic […]
Rick Haglund: An economic tsunami is hitting Michigan — and it will reshape work forever
As businesses slowly reopen and workers return to jobs, President Donald Trump is predicting the economy will emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic stronger than ever. “We’ve been talking about the ‘V.’ This is better than a ‘V,’ ” Trump said last week about the potential for a quick, V-shaped recovery. “This is a rocket ship.” […]