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# Using Systems Thinking to Understand City Economic Competitiveness and its Connection with Workforce Development Involvement

## Details

**Authors** Moretz D

**Year** 2016

**Publisher** Cornell Policy Review

**Kind of work** article

**Discipline** Economics

**Kind of engagement** applications

[Read it](https://www.cornellpolicyreview.com/using-systems-thinking-to-understand-city-economic-competitiveness-and-its-connection-with-workforce-development-involvement/)

## In authors' words

### Abstract

This paper utilizes the DSRP principles of systems thinking to explore the role of workforce development in city economic competitiveness. A city's economic competitiveness is vital, not only for attracting new businesses but also for ensuring the survival of current businesses. Ideally, an economically competitive city enables its firms to compete in their markets and create wealth that is shared among its citizens, leading to a high quality of life. This paper's analysis develops a better understanding of the tools available to policymakers to support local businesses, and how the behavior of different actors can compromise cities' abilities to maintain or enhance their competitiveness and their tax revenues. It finds that actors' impacts on business create feedback loop effects such that changes in one actor's contribution to economic development impacts another actor's ability to support development. The analysis shows that workforce development policies are an important component of competitiveness, and cities' non-involvement in workforce intermediaries and employment centers, which are safety nets for the workforce development system, sets their welfare and economic development at risk.

### What they set out to do (purpose)

A Cornell Policy Review piece using the DSRP principles to explore workforce development's role in city economic competitiveness.

### What they found (results)

Actors' impacts on business create feedback loops — one actor's contribution shapes another's ability to support development — and city non-involvement in workforce intermediaries and employment centers puts welfare, development, and tax revenue at risk.

## Commentary

### In short

A student application of DSRP, from the Cornell Policy Review systems thinking special issues.

**Patterns it shows** R

**How to cite this** Moretz D (2016). Using Systems Thinking to Understand City Economic Competitiveness and its Connection with Workforce Development Involvement. Cornell Policy Review.