State and local governments sometimes have an uneasy relationship with economic development, preferring to leave the economy to the forces of the market. However, state and local governments are now realizing that the outcomes of economic development need not be abstract, nor its tools opaque— rather, economic development in the 21st century is about cueing the right market signals that catalyze private sector activity to create economic opportunity for citizens. This requires the careful calibration of policy, programs, incentives and infrastructure to bring new jobs, expand their tax base, and grow their competitive advantage.

At Guidehouse, we specialize in helping state and local governments define their economic development strategy, orchestrate the ecosystem of public, private, and institutional players around a shared agenda, and put in place the supportive programs to breathe new life into their economies.

Guidehouse’s range of experience covers the following topics:

• Policy macroeconomics and megatrends
• Economic and workforce development strategy
• Economic clusters, diversification, and industrial strategy
• Thematic growth strategies such as low-carbon economic transformation, innovation and technology-centric economies, and advanced manufacturing hub design
• Infrastructure planning, and urban and spatial economics
• Advanced econometric and economic quantification techniques using IMPLAN, REMI  and other tools
• Business attraction, retention, and expansion program design
• Economic development agency organizational design and change management