In the last half century, North Carolina and the South have
experienced rapid economic growth. Much of the best analysis of
this progress came from two North Carolina-based research
organizations: the Southern Growth Policies Board and MDC
(originally a project of the North Carolina Fund). Their 1986
reports are two of the best assessments of the achievements and
limitations of the so-called Sunbelt boom.
On November 17, 2011, the Global Research Institute at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Institute for
Emerging Issues at North Carolina State University co-hosted a
public discussion to build on these classic reports and to offer
fresh analyses of the current challenges facing the region.
A
Way Forward, which issued from this effort, features more than
thirty original essays containing recommendations and strategies
for building and sustaining a globally competitive South.