I just read a fascinating article on The New Republic’s website about the changes going on in our economy. The author, Richard Florida, contends that the economic downturn we’ve been experiencing (and the faltering struggles to recover from it) indicate something much larger going on. He believes our economy is going through a sort of seismic shift, comparable to what our country experienced in the late 1800s as we transitioned from an agriculture-based economy to an industrial one.
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The idea that we’re moving from an industrial economy to a knowledge-based economy is nothing new, but the author’s ideas are at least worthy of discussion. He notes that during economically difficult times in our past, innovation flourished — great inventions were created and many patents were filed. He talks about the value of creativity and innovation in the new economy, arguing that our educational system ought to be adding a fourth “R” to reading, writing, and arithmetic — entrepreneurship. He believes that the education system ought to be engaging students in hands-on innovation and teaching them how to write business plans and market their products, rather than preparing them for jobs in the economy we’re leaving behind.
Florida’s article is long — give it 10 minutes to read — but it certainly gets you thinking. Who will be financially successful in the coming decades? How should we or our children (or grandchildren) be preparing to be an active participant? And what kinds of policies should the government be pursuing (or dropping)? If these questions interest you, go ahead and read Florida’s article. It’s controversial but he’s thinking in bigger, historic terms — good ways to think if you want to get a bigger view than just the politics of right now.
(Review by Matt Garber.)
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