Is the World “Flat” or “Spiky”? Rethinking the Governance Implications of Globalization for Economic Development

Abstract

Discerning what globalization means for state and local economic development strategies, structures, and policies remains a formidable governance challenge today. Gaining considerable attention in the popular media have been two very different diagnoses and sets of recommendations for coping with globalization, one offered by journalist Thomas Friedman (The World is Flat) and the other by economic development specialist Richard Florida (The Rise of the Creative Class). In this issue's exchange among practitioners and academics, Richard C. Feiock of Florida State University, M. Jae Moon of Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, and Hyung-Jun Park of the Korea Public Administration Institute in Seoul, Korea, take stock and ponder the implications of the Friedman-Florida debate for state and local economic development administrators, elected officials, and stakeholders. Comparing, contrasting, and critiquing the theoretical roots and practical implications of the Friedman-Florida debate, the authors contend that a regional governance focus is best suited for coping with globalization, a focus that helps bridge the Friedman-Florida divide. Readers will find an extended research agenda for this topic in the e-version of the article (go to aspanet.org, click on the link to PAR, and then on the Theory to Practice link). They also will find reactions to the authors' arguments by three prominent commentators: (TBA). These commentaries are accompanied by the authors' response and instructions for joining the exchange.