2022 Conference on Inclusive Economic Development & Recovery Strategies

The Inclusive Economic Development Conference, co-sponsored by Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC), the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, and Economic Development Quarterly, was held virtually on May 6, 2022.  Presentations by researchers and practitioners illuminated disparities amongst racial/ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic groups and how they vary across regions and place types, and offered solutions to encourage inclusion. Some conference sessions focused on the COVID-19 experience, including the Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses, while others were about inclusive economic development more generally.

Watch the full conference now and access the presentations using the links below:

Session 1: Framing the Conversation

Credit Availability for Minority Business Owners in an Evolving Credit Environment: Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Mark E. Schweitzer and Brett Barkley (Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland)

The Evolution and Landscape of Under-Resourced Communities in U.S. Metropolitan Areas

• Matthew Hall (Cornell University), Howard Wial (ICIC), and Devon Yee (ICIC)

Session 2: The Paycheck Protection Program and Its Implications for Inclusivity

Banking Deserts and the Paycheck Protection Program

• Kristopher Deming (Michigan State University) and Stephan Weiler (Colorado State University)

The Racial and Spatial Impacts of the Paycheck Protection Program

• William Lester (San Jose State University) and Matthew D. Wilson (University of North Carolina)

Bank Types, Inclusivity, and Payroll Protection Program Lending During Covid-19

• Mark K. Cassell (Kent State University), Mark Schwan (University of Cologne), and Marc Schneiburg (Reed College)

Session 3: Prospects and Opportunities for Equitable Entrepreneurship

Income Generation Through Entrepreneurship: SEED Initiative

• Iliana G. Perez (Immigrants Rising)

Entrepreneurial Firms and Incentives: Pre-COVID-19 Landscape and Pandemic Recovery Responses

• Darrene Hackler and Ellen Harpel (Smart Incentives)

Session 4: Place-Based Approaches for Inclusion

Fostering Resident-Centric Economic Development

• Ellen Harpel (Smart Incentives)

Broadband Use and Inclusive Prosperity in Black Communities

• Karen Mossberger (Arizona State University), Caroline Tolbert (University of Iowa), and Bomi Lee (University of Kentucky)

Session 5: Has COVID Derailed Efforts on Equity?

COVID-19, The New Urban Crisis, and Cities: How COVID-19 Compounds the Effects of Economic Segregation and Inequality on Metropolitan Economic Performance

• Richard Florida (University of Toronto) and Todd Gabe (University of Maine)

Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 on Diverse Populations

• Andrew Lim and Dan Wallace (American Immigration Council)

2017 Convening: Catalyzing Inclusivity in Incubators and Accelerators

In October 2017, ICIC hosted a national conversation at the Roxbury Innovation Center in Boston. Sponsored by JPMorgan Chase, the Boston Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and based on ICIC’s report Creating Inclusive High-Tech Incubators and Accelerators: Strategies to Increase Participation Rates of Women and Minority Entrepreneurs, the convening featured an exciting lineup of expert speakers and included 150 entrepreneurs and leaders from across the U.S. You can view the full program here and learn more by reading our recap blogpost.

2015 Inner City Economic Summit

On September 15 and 16, 2015, thought leaders, policy makers and business leaders convened in Detroit, an epicenter of economic development and revitalization innovation, for our 11th Inner City Economic Summit to discuss leading edge research and practice on inner city economic development. This Summit, Revisiting the Promise and Problems of Inner City Economic Development, included keynote addresses by ICIC’s founder, Harvard University Professor Michael E. Porter, and Rock Ventures’ President and CEO, Matthew Cullen.

Our partners for the 2015 Summit were:

• The W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
• The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
• Economic Development Quarterly and Sage Publications

The conference kicked off with a bus tour of some of the projects reshaping Detroit’s inner city followed by an evening reception celebrating the release of a special edition of Economic Development Quarterly that will revisit a set of articles published by EDQ in 1997 on a conversation with Michael Porter about his groundbreaking research on the competitive advantages of inner cities.

Summit Recap Materials

Keynote Speaker Michael E. Porter
Videorecording
Presentation (PDF)

Keynote Speaker Matthew Cullen
Videorecording pt. 1 (via YouTube)
Videorecording pt. 2 (via YouTube)
Videorecording pt. 3 (via YouTube)
Videorecording pt. 4 (via YouTube)
Videorecording pt. 5 (via YouTube)

Pre-Tour Discussion with William Sander, William Testa & Martin Lavelle

Panel 1: New Thinking on the Competitiveness of Inner Cities: Evidence from Research & Practice

Mercedes Delgado, Assistant Professor, TIES Group, MIT Sloan School of Management

William Lester, Assistant Professor, Department of City and Regional Planning, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Scott Mosley, Director of Investment Strategies, The Water Council

Paul Riser, Jr., Managing Director, Technology-Based Entrepreneurship, TechTown Detroit

Panel 2: Opportunities for Business in the Inner City: Evidence from Research & Practice

Kevin Stolarick, Director, India Institute for Competitiveness, Toronto, ON

Timothy Bates, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Wayne State University, Detroit

Ray Leach, Chief Executive Officer, JumpStart, Inc., Cleveland, OH

Rashida Thomas, Director of Education and Workforce Development, Focus: HOPE, Detroit