Required Reading: Top Ten Books for Economic Development Professionals
November 10, 2011
I was recently meeting with someone new to the economic development profession and she asked me: “What books should I be reading to better understand this new world?”
The question led me to put together a “top ten” list (with the help of some ED professionals/avid readers noted at the bottom of this post).
So here’s the list in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. Click on the image for more thoughts, but it’s a mix of well-known bestsellers along with some more narrowly focused books on our profession. All are in print and available on Amazon.
http://i0.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-con...&fit=102%2C150Frankly, I was pleasantly surprised that a number of our colleagues identified “Good to Great” as a must-read for economic development professionals. Personally, I felt so strongly about Collins’ message that our entire company read the book and dissected it in a series of “bag lunch” discussion groups. Collins and his research team analyze the performance of 11 publicly-held companies that made the leap from “Good to Great” as well as comparison companies that failed to advance. It is a roadmap for any organization – including economic development groups – that want to make the leap from “good to great.” " data-medium-file="http://i0.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Book-1.jpg?resize=185%2C270" data-large-file="http://i0.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Book-1.jpg?resize=185%2C270" height="139" width="99">
http://i1.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-con...&fit=150%2C150This book created a firestorm in the economic development world. A professor of regional economic development at Carnegie Mellon University when published in 2002, Richard Florida outlined the emergence of a new social class – the creative class – and how their choices are driving a fundamental change in the American economic structure. Challenging much of the conventional wisdom about economic development and community planning, Florida argues that the liveliest economies are characterized by talent, technology and tolerance. Follow up books by Dr. Florida include “Who’s Your City?” and “The Great Reset.” " data-medium-file="http://i1.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Book-2.jpg?resize=250%2C250" data-large-file="http://i1.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Book-2.jpg?resize=300%2C300" height="17" width="211">
http://i0.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-con...5&fit=99%2C150Thomas Friedman is one of a kind. In “The World is Flat,” this Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times columnist delivers a concise analysis of globalization at the dawn of the 21st century. Written in 2005, “The World is Flat” discusses how the convergence of technology and communications is “flattening” the global playing field and what that means for communities, companies and individuals. His follow up books including “Hot, Flat, and Crowded” and “That Used To Be Us” are equally insightful, demystifying the rapidly-changing state of America and the world. " data-medium-file="http://i0.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Book-3.jpg?resize=200%2C300" data-large-file="http://i0.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Book-3.jpg?resize=213%2C320" height="139" width="96">
http://i0.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-con...5&fit=98%2C150“The Company Town” is a historical tale of American corporations, from the cotton mills of the 1800’s to Hershey to Google, which developed entire communities around their organizations and attempted to control every aspect of life there. Green describes two different kinds of company town: the paternalistic, utopian ideal which fosters development for the community and the “exploitationville” which focuses only on profits at the expense of employees’ well-being. Starting in the early years of American capitalism, this book is an excellent analysis of how the American economy has evolved and how such communities are transforming and developing in our modern society. " data-medium-file="http://i0.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Book-4.jpg?resize=197%2C300" data-large-file="http://i0.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Book-4.jpg?resize=673%2C1024" height="140" width="95">
http://i0.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-con...&fit=150%2C150This is a book by one of our own. Ron Kitchens has led economic development organizations in Moberly, Missouri; Corpus Christi, Texas and Kalamazoo, Michigan. “Community Capitalism” focuses on Kalamazoo and tells the story of how a spirited community worked together to revitalize their struggling economy. Kitchens outlines a new economic development strategy to show that urban communities that seem distressed can be empowered by focusing community resources into five key areas: place, capital, infrastructure, talent and education. " data-medium-file="http://i0.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Book-5.jpg?resize=250%2C250" data-large-file="http://i0.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Book-5.jpg?resize=254%2C254" height="17" width="159">
http://i1.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-con...5&fit=97%2C150The United States population is growing at a record rate and is projected to add another hundred million people by 2050. While this may spell doom and gloom for many people, Kotkin believes in quite the opposite outcome. “The Next Hundred Million” is Kotkin’s optimistic and well-supported prediction for the American economy when it reaches 400 million people, forecasting a new “green” suburban landscape with more virtual jobs and more diversity. Drawing from a wealth of research and historical analysis, Kotkin provides a comforting argument for how the United States will develop into the most culturally-rich and competitive nation on earth. " data-medium-file="http://i1.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Book-6.png?resize=196%2C300" data-large-file="http://i1.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Book-6.png?resize=270%2C414" height="139" width="94">
http://i2.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-con...&fit=139%2C150For anyone who has ever sweated over making a cold call to a potential investor (and that would be most of us), it’s time to read “Selling to VITO.” The book is a blueprint of how to successfully reach and get appointments with the top decision makers, the “Very Important Top Officers,” in any organization. It is required reading for anyone within DCI’s Prospect Development/Qualification (PDQ) team. " data-medium-file="http://i2.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Book-7.jpg?resize=200%2C215" data-large-file="http://i2.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Book-7.jpg?resize=200%2C215" height="142" width="136">
http://i2.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-con...5&fit=98%2C150In this collection of a dozen Harvard Business Review articles published between 1979 and 1998, Michael E. Porter examines how to thrive in the brutal international and domestic economies or our times. Based around three categories: Competition and Strategy: Core Concepts, The Competitiveness of Location, and Competitive Solutions to Societal Problems, these articles combine economics and management to emphasize the importance of long-term planning and geographical location, as well as develop a framework of competitive strategies that all business, government and financial leaders should follow. " data-medium-file="http://i2.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/book-8.jpeg?resize=198%2C300" data-large-file="http://i2.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/book-8.jpeg?resize=320%2C486" height="139" width="95">
http://i2.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-con...5&fit=99%2C150In this marketing classic, Al Ries and Jack Trout explain how to use their concept of “positioning” to distinguish a product in an overcrowded marketplace (and you won’t find a more crowded marketplace than the economic development landscape). While using success and failure stories of real products, the authors cover all the important positioning principles which have become key aspects of the marketing, advertising, branding and product management professions. As timely and relevant as when it was first published in 1981. " data-medium-file="http://i2.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Book-9.jpg?resize=199%2C300" data-large-file="http://i2.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Book-9.jpg?resize=332%2C500" height="140" width="96">
http://i0.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-con...5&fit=99%2C150As co-founder of GIS Planning Inc., Anatalio Ubalde is well known within the economic development world. The book takes a close look at how the Internet and social media are combining to change the landscape of economic development. Ubalde and Krueger explain the basics of dozens of emerging tools and why they matter to today’s economic developers. " data-medium-file="http://i0.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Book-10.png?resize=198%2C300" data-large-file="http://i0.wp.com/aboutdci.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Book-10.png?resize=264%2C400" height="17" width="218">
Special thanks to Chuck Alvey, Ed Burghard, Christopher Chung,
Jeff Finkle, Tracy Finneman, Brian Hilson and David Rhoades for their suggestions.
Got other suggestions to add to the list? Please share your selections by posting a comment.
