Growing Vacationland by Retaining and Attracting Knowledge Workers

摘要

This paper considers the benefit of retaining and attracting highly skilled workers as ameans toward prompting job and income creation in the State of Maine, a rural region ofthe US with a small share of high-tech jobs. The region faces dual problems of the out-migration of young, educated workers and an inability to grow its labor force with thekind of knowledge workers that high-tech firms want. As a consequence, the State haslimited success in attracting or growing high-tech companies. Research findings from other regions demonstrate the crucial linkage between a region'squality of place and its ability to attract and retain knowledge workers. Can Mainefollow a similar path? The paper proposes developing a system dynamics model basedupon the knowledge of participants involved in a collaborative effort. The desirability offorging public-private alliances to stimulate investment in the cultural capital of the Stateis explored.