It took me a while to get there but I've reached the conclusion that cities that treat education and skills development not as isolated social policies but as core components of their economic strategy are better positioned to navigate uncertainty. I'm about to make a presentation to that effect to a development agency and thought I 'd write about it here to clarify my thoughts.
Really useful framing. I especially like the point that education and skills cannot just be treated as social policy, but have to sit at the centre of economic strategy.
For Scotland, this feels highly relevant. We often discuss universities, colleges, industrial policy, public services and regional development as separate debates, when the real question is whether we have the institutional capacity to connect them into a long-term national strategy.
The Pittsburgh and Eindhoven examples are particularly interesting because they show that places do not recover simply by attracting investment. They recover when they build systems that develop human capabilities, retain talent, connect anchor institutions and give people a route into the future economy.
That feels like an important lesson for any serious discussion about Scotland’s next economic model.
I think you're right, Scotland Explained. And none of what they achieved was inevitable. Pittsburg was in a very difficult spot, Eindhoven was suffering, there was no guarantee that Austin would become what it has become.
It took me a while to get there but I've reached the conclusion that cities that treat education and skills development not as isolated social policies but as core components of their economic strategy are better positioned to navigate uncertainty. I'm about to make a presentation to that effect to a development agency and thought I 'd write about it here to clarify my thoughts.
Really useful framing. I especially like the point that education and skills cannot just be treated as social policy, but have to sit at the centre of economic strategy.
For Scotland, this feels highly relevant. We often discuss universities, colleges, industrial policy, public services and regional development as separate debates, when the real question is whether we have the institutional capacity to connect them into a long-term national strategy.
The Pittsburgh and Eindhoven examples are particularly interesting because they show that places do not recover simply by attracting investment. They recover when they build systems that develop human capabilities, retain talent, connect anchor institutions and give people a route into the future economy.
That feels like an important lesson for any serious discussion about Scotland’s next economic model.
I think you're right, Scotland Explained. And none of what they achieved was inevitable. Pittsburg was in a very difficult spot, Eindhoven was suffering, there was no guarantee that Austin would become what it has become.
I touched on some of these issues within a broader article on Dundee's recovery which you might enjoy, https://ericsandelands.substack.com/p/dundee-rediscovering-its-confidence?r=4luybw&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
Thanks for your insights and kind comments.