South By North Strategies, Ltd.

In 2009, South by North Strategies conducted a comprehensive review of the changes in state-level economic and workforce policies and practices that have occurred in the American South since the mid-1990s.

Commissioned by The Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation in Winston-Salem, NC, the resulting study traced the evolution of “jobs-centered development.” This model strives to combine the traditional tools of economic and workforce development in ways that better cultivate the skilled workforces demanded by local businesses and expand the opportunities available to local residents, especially low-income ones.

The full study, entitled When Any Job Isn’t Enough: Jobs Centered Development in the American South, documented the need for a new development approach, traced the rise of current innovative practices, identified the building blocks of jobs-centered development, critiques popular strategies, and identified lessons applicable in recessionary times.

Click to view an executive summary of the report.