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Southern
California in the Information Age
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In the remaining years of the twentieth century, the most critical
challenge facing Southern California and other key metropolitan regions
will be to secure a major role in the emerging information-driven
industries. These sectors - which include high-technology manufacturing,
software design, professional services, entertainment, and multimedia
- represent the fast-growth, high-wage arenas that will define the
nation's economic future.
No region is better positioned to garner a larger portion of this
surging, high-wage employment than Southern California. Not only does
the five-county Los Angeles area possess one of the world's largest
concentrations of scientists, engineers, and high-technology industries,
but is has established a predominant presence in global culture-related
industries such as movies, television, multimedia, virtual reality,
and craft-based lifestyle products.
Despite these impressive advantages, Southern California's future
leadership in the information age is severely threatened by external
competitors and internal weaknesses. Nevertheless, this region's ability
not only to participate in but also to lead the global information
economy remains largely in the hands of its economic, political, and
media leadership.
With a coordinated, well-focused emphasis on economic development
and regional marketing, with better networking between the region's
diverse information-age industries, and with greater stress on educational
achievement, Southern California could emerge as the preeminent, cutting-edge
economy of the next century.
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Report Date:
June 1997
Written by:
Joel Kotkin
John M. Olin Fellow
Pepperdine University Insitute for Public Policy
Edited by:
Lee R. Cerling
Corporate Sponsors:
Los Angeles Department
of Water and Power
The
Hollywood Reporter
Eastman Kodak
Entertainment Industry Development Corp.
Los Angeles Regional Technology Alliance
Price Waterhouse LLP
Kingston
Technology
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