WHAT IS THE RESTORING OUR PROSPERITY INITIATIVE?

Restoring Our Prosperity is a non-partisan research, policy development, and organizing initiative focused on revitalizing the state’s core communities and reinvigorating its economic competitiveness. It is part of the Restoring Prosperity Initiative, a national multi-partner project launched in May 2007 with the Brookings Institution’s publication of Restoring Prosperity: The State Role in Revitalizing America’s Older Industrial Cities.  The goal of the Ohio Initiative is to provide the state’s leaders with concrete proposals for economic policy reform that are carefully tailored to Ohio’s unique assets and challenges.

Restoring Our Prosperity builds on earlier and well-received Brookings Institution projects in Maine and Pennsylvania. Yet, it is distinctive in the way it combines independent policy research and analysis, network building, a policy summit, and post-summit activity. The policy research will focus on four areas: transportation, economic development, workforce development, and neighborhood revitalization. Working with experts from around the state, we will assess Ohio’s current policy challenges, establish the case for policy reform, and develop a set of policy recommendations in each of these areas. This work will be presented and discussed at the policy summit, discussed below.

WHAT IS THE POLICY SUMMIT?

The Restoring Our Prosperity Policy Summit will:

• develop a plan for State Action that revitalizes Ohio’s older industrial communities
• engage a constituency to support this change.

The summit will bring together several hundred state and local leaders for the purpose of vetting and refining proposed policy recommendations and building public support for them. It will take place September 10th in Columbus, and will feature presentations by Governor Strickland (invited), Lieutenant Governor Fisher, Brookings Vice President Bruce Katz, and a closing panel of Ohio leaders. It will also feature several breakout sessions at which participants can critique the policy recommendations and suggest improvements in the four areas. The post-summit activity will focus on consolidating the energies generated at the summit and translating the policy recommendations into state policy.

WHAT IS GREATER OHIO’S ROLE?

Greater Ohio is working with the Brookings Institution as its in-state, on-the-ground partner to identify policy priorities, organize a constituency for change, and accomplish state policy reform.

The network building involves organizing a “constituency for change” among local civic, political and business leaders around the state. This effort is being led by Lavea Brachman, a Brookings non-resident senior fellow based in Columbus and a co-director of Greater Ohio. Working with the Governor’s Office and a high-level advisory council (including local corporate, political and philanthropic leaders), Lavea and her team are conducting outreach to gather additional information on local needs and challenges, generate feedback on proposed reforms, and encourage participation at the policy summit.

In select cities, Greater Ohio will participate in or help convene a pre-Summit meeting where policy ideas developed through the Summit Policy Teams will be discussed and vetted for feedback from community leaders.

Policy development efforts will be undertaken primarily in conjunction with the Brookings Institution which has agreed to manage the research and policy diagnostic efforts, with significant input from Greater Ohio. The goal is to develop a white paper in each of these areas which will be presented at the Summit for discussion in breakout groups. We will develop “teams” dedicated to each of these areas that will provide peer review and input into shaping the relevant policy recommendations.