Export Nation 2012: How U.S. Metros Are Driving National Growth

Amid a sluggish economic recovery, a growing number of U.S. business, civic and economic leaders are calling for the nation to tap into global markets as a destination for exports. To that end, the federal government should establish basic policy supports for export-driven growth while capitalizing on the role and assets of metropolitan areas as the key engines of state and national exporting.

On March 8, the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings released “Export Nation 2012,” which analyzes the evolution of the export landscape across the country and the changes in the export sector of the largest 100 U.S. metropolitan areas. The report provides a series of policy recommendations on how to better connect the national export agenda with the Metropolitan Export Initiative, a ground-up collaborative effort to help regional civic, business, and political leaders create and implement customized metropolitan export plans in partnership with their states. Bruce Katz, vice president and director of the Metropolitan Policy Program, presented the findings of the report, followed by a panel of business, civic, and government leaders involved in helping their metro areas better engage in global trade. The event concluded with a discussion on how the federal government can create a national platform for export growth while empowering the growth of exports from the ground up.

After each panel, participants took audience questions. You can follow the discussion on this event on Twitter using the hashtag #ExportNation.