BOOKS.

• Author: Snell, Ron
• Position: Review

THOMAS W. BONNETT

Ron Snell, NCSL

Competing in the New Economy: Governance Strategies for the Digital Age by Thomas W. Bonnett, Xlibris.com, Philadelphia, Pa. 2000. 192 pages, softcover, $16. Order from bookstore at www.orders@xlibris.com.

Tom Bonnett, a former Vermont legislator, has written extensively for NCSL and the National Governors' Association about the new economy and public policy issues. Here he contends that the modern economy has thrust a new responsibility on governors and legislators to preserve their state economies as capital and employment become instantly mobile. His book alerts policymakers to the unprecedented situation they face and some ways to respond positively to it.

Near the beginning of the book, Bonnett says, "Elected officials should ask themselves, 'If work is portable and knowledge workers can choose where they live, then why would they want to live and work in my community?'" The book is devoted to explaining the importance of that question.

The new economy means a shift to an information-based economy. It stands for instantaneous transfers of information and capital around the globe; revolutions in manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, insurance, banking and entertainment; the global integration of business; and a shift of power from traditional institutions, including government, to individual citizens. Technology and knowledge drive change without respect to geography or political boundaries. In these circumstances, what value does a place have? How can elected political leaders act to preserve jobs and wealth in the communities they govern? How can they keep work and business from melting away?

Bonnett thinks...