http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2012/0222_state_economies_chat.aspx
12:30 Jennifer Bradley: State innovation is part of the genius of our federalist system. Health care reform was law in Massachusetts years before the recent passage of federal legislation. During the 1980s, governors from both parties experimented with welfare and healthcare reforms, paving the way for federal advances in the next decade. Throughout the 1950s, public university systems, established by states like California and North Carolina, set the stage for the federal technology investments of the 1960s and 1970s. And before he was president, New York Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt experimented with interventions that foreshadowed the New Deal.
With Washington mired in gridlock, states have no choice but to innovate. Smart governors are working with partners in metropolitan areas, which concentrate people, jobs, GDP, and innovation potential and are critical for job creation, revenue generation, and economic growth.
12:30 Comment From Tim: What are a few examples of innovation at the state level that have helped local economies get back on their feet again?
12:32 Jennifer Bradley: States like Nevada, Tennessee, and New York are organizing their economic development strategies around the needs of local and metro economies. They are focusing on aligning resources metros need, rather than sticking with the same old state agency stovepipes.