Building Appalachia's Capacity to Compete. Executive Summary

摘要

By making the right investments in the economic infrastructure needed to compete in the global economy, the Appalachian region can realize a better economic future. In the past, Appalachia has had to meet difficult challenges by investing in its physical infrastructure. Creating jobs and income in the region today also requires complementary investment in an economic infrastructure of technology, human resources, and capital. Failing to build this infrastructure will hinder both the regions existing industries, which face special problems in adapting to economic change, and reduce the region's ability to capture growth in emerging industries. Although investments in both areas are needed in Appalachia, the study found that the region can realize some immediate payoffs by investing in the near-term economic infrastructure. Many states in the region are already active in building elements of the economic infrastructure, and several are in fact leading innovators in meeting the near-term needs of industry. However, the study finds a number of areas where new forms of public and private investment are needed.