The Washington metro area faces a new imperative: it must activate the private side of its economy. Doing so will likely mean increasing the region’s competitiveness in the global economy, as the domestic economy is simply not expected to grow at a very strong rate in the near future.
While Greater Washington boasts many inherent advantages, most of which are rooted in Washington’s status as the seat of the U.S. government, the region has a long way to go in order to maximize its competitive position in the global marketplace. In 2013 the Brookings Institution released a study called, “The 10 Traits of Globally Fluent Metro Areas,” which documented the characteristics of metropolitan areas that are succeeding in the global economy. This report begins with a deeper examination of the Washington region’s status relative to Brookings’ 10 traits, evaluates Washington’s competitive position relative to other major U.S. metros, and discusses what other regions in the U.S. are doing to compete at a global scale, and puts forth an agenda for the Washington region to improve its global fluency.
Improving the Washington Region’s Global Competitiveness – Executive Summary
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Improving the Washington Region’s Global Competitiveness
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Improving the Washington Region’s Global Competitiveness – Appendix A:
Global Competitiveness Case Studies
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Improving the Washington Region’s Global Competitiveness – Appendix B:
Benchmark Indicators for Top 20 Metro Areas
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