Abstract
In 1987 the state of Michigan created the Center for Local Economic Competitiveness (CLEC) within the Michigan Department of Commerce. CLEC was designed to provide consulting services, free of charge, to Michigan communities willing to engage in a strategic analysis of their local economy. This article describes and discusses the experience of CLEC, focusing both on the analytic and the political problems it faces in providing its consulting services. It ends by setting forth the benefits to local communities of the systematic analysis it provides as well as lessons other states can draw from the Michigan experience.
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