Foreign business attraction is in the news this week, with North Carolina Department of Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker returning from a recruitment trip to Japan aimed at bringing an automaker or other manufacturer to build a new plant in North Carolina. As part of this effort, the state has alrea … Read more

Glenn Barnes is a senior project director at the Environmental Finance Center based at the UNC School of Government. Electricity rates have been a hot topic lately in North Carolina, especially for customers of Duke Energy.  For small- and medium-sized manufacturers in the state, the Department of E … Read more

Jonathan Morgan is a School of Government faculty member. Manufacturing companies in the U.S.  have struggled to find enough skilled production workers for several years.  During periods of robust economic growth, the shortage of qualified workers is particularly acute.  In the current economy with … Read more

Jonathan Morgan is a School of Government faculty member. Public officials and economic developers want to know what is required for their communities to be attractive and competitive locations for new private investment.  A good starting point is to understand which factors businesses consider to b … Read more