Small town America – which candidate understands?

Small town America is suffering economically in the new global economy – and needs to be revived. But in all honestly not sure if any of the two 2016 presidential candidates is talking to the people in these towns or even listening to them.

The decline has been long term trend with mechanization of agriculture, exhaustion of natural resources and it accelerated as factory jobs moved overseas.

Most important big box retailers like Wal-Mart put out of business small retailers and killed small town downtowns. Making matters worse the box retailers wages and benefits were low and goods were rarely US made. 

Population decline in these towns may have worsened since the 2008 recession. In some small towns the economic downslide has been accelerated by expressways which leaves these towns off the economic map.

There may be limitations to how much government can do in todays integrated global economy to shift economic activity; but we must try.

So what can be done. Roland Stephen argues in his paper “…………. Governments, he argues, should invest in “open-ended initiatives” such as education and infrastructure, while local regions need to leverage local assets in tourism, human wealth or natural resources. Attracting immigrants may be a winning strategy as well; Canada’s Maritime provinces have begun to grow recently largely because of immigrant inflows.

Funding and encouraging technological innovation may offer a way. This is not limited to engineering innovations but innovations in manufacturing process and learning. With internet familiarity, even in small towns, learning can be accomplished without the need to leave town. With university education so expensive focused learning directed to people’s needs is the answer.

Also more people can work from home even if they are servicing clients in a major city and go to their head office maybe twice a month.

Innovative small-scale manufacturing technologies and 3-D print manufacturing would allow companies to decentralize manufacturing and even bring home jobs lost to low cost countries without totally scrapping all trade agreements as proposed by Mr. Trump.

Some people may argue that this may not be enough to reverse the decline of America’s small towns. I would disagree as there are just as many people who are lured to the social and other opportunities in big cities. However, there are equal number of people who yearn for small town living and would love to raise their kids in small towns, if given the opportunity. In the last 10 years I have come across many such examples – remember that is how suburbia was formed!

“America is a great nation and melting pot better than any other nation in history. We are a free great people – smart and intelligent. Political leaders need to start treating us as such.”