Quote
May 30, 2012
"Today the economic performance of American cities is more uneven than ever before. Some cities are growing fast, attracting innovative employers and adding well-paying jobs. Other cities are falling behind, shedding jobs and losing population. As the economic fortunes of American communities keep growing apart, the financial return for geographic mobility keeps increasing, but only some Americans exploit this opportunity."

— From THE NEW GEOGRAPHY OF JOBS by Enrico Moretti, excerpted in the Wall Street Journal. 

Tags: Enrico Moretti The New Geography of Jobs Wall Street Journal

Photo
May 23, 2012
1 note
In today’s economy, it’s not necessarily what you do or who you know—it’s where you live. In THE NEW GEOGRAPHY OF JOBS, Berkeley economist Enrico Moretti reveals a a new landscape that’s benefiting centers of innovation like San Francisco, Boston, Austin, and Durham. But the winners and losers aren’t necessarily who you’d expect. Moretti’s groundbreaking research shows that you don’t have to be a scientist or an engineer to thrive in one of these brain hubs. The main beneficiaries are the workers who support the “idea-creators”—the carpenters, hair stylists, personal trainers, lawyers, doctors, and teachers. In fact, Moretti has shown that for every new innovation job in a city, five additional non-innovation jobs are created, and those workers earn higher salaries than their counterparts in other urban areas. Live in one of these places and you will almost certainly be healthier and wealthier, even if you don’t own a start-up. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. As the global economy shifted from agriculture to manufacturing to innovation, geography was supposed to matter less. But the pundits were wrong. A new map is being drawn and it’s not about red vs. blue or rich vs. poor. The rise of the hubs is causing huge geographic disparities in education, wealth, life expectancy, and political engagement. Dealing with this split—encouraging growth in the hubs while arresting the decline elsewhere—will be the challenge of the century, and  THE NEW GEOGRAPHY OF JOBS lights the way. Read an excerpt. 

In today’s economy, it’s not necessarily what you do or who you know—it’s where you live.

In THE NEW GEOGRAPHY OF JOBS, Berkeley economist Enrico Moretti reveals a a new landscape that’s benefiting centers of innovation like San Francisco, Boston, Austin, and Durham. But the winners and losers aren’t necessarily who you’d expect. Moretti’s groundbreaking research shows that you don’t have to be a scientist or an engineer to thrive in one of these brain hubs. The main beneficiaries are the workers who support the “idea-creators”—the carpenters, hair stylists, personal trainers, lawyers, doctors, and teachers. In fact, Moretti has shown that for every new innovation job in a city, five additional non-innovation jobs are created, and those workers earn higher salaries than their counterparts in other urban areas. Live in one of these places and you will almost certainly be healthier and wealthier, even if you don’t own a start-up.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. As the global economy shifted from agriculture to manufacturing to innovation, geography was supposed to matter less. But the pundits were wrong. A new map is being drawn and it’s not about red vs. blue or rich vs. poor. The rise of the hubs is causing huge geographic disparities in education, wealth, life expectancy, and political engagement. Dealing with this split—encouraging growth in the hubs while arresting the decline elsewhere—will be the challenge of the century, and  THE NEW GEOGRAPHY OF JOBS lights the way.
Read an excerpt. 

Tags: enrico moretti may 22 the new geography of jobs