Economic Resilience

Exploring why some regions bounce back from economic shocks and others do not.

Key Publications
Urban and Regional Policy and Its Effects, Volume 4
Urban and Regional Policy and Its Effects, edited by Margaret Weir, Nancy Pindus, Howard Wial, and Harold Wolman (Brookings Institution Press, February 2012).Read more
The Consequences of Metropolitan Manufacturing Decline: Testing Conventional Wisdom
By Alec Friedhoff, Howard Wial and Harold Wolman, “The Consequences of Metropolitan Manufacturing Decline: Testing Conventional Wisdom.” (Washington: Brookings Institution, December 2010). This report examines the facts and other commonly held beliefs about the economic evolution of industrial metropolitan areas that deindustrialized between the 1980s and early 2000s. We return to these commonly held beliefs in our concluding section [...]Read more
Strengthening American Manufacturing: A New Federal Approach
By Susan Helper and Howard Wial, “Strengthening American Manufacturing: A New Federal Approach.” (Washington: Brookings Institution, September 2010). Manufacturing is essential to America’s economic well-being. It accounts for the bulk of United States exports, is key for innovation, and provides many high-wage jobs, especially for less educated workers. It is the economic lifeblood of much of the Great Lakes region. [...]Read more
Urban and Regional Policy and Its Effects, Volume 3
By Nancy Pindus, Howard Wial, and Harold Wolman, editors (Brookings Institution Press, 2010).Read more
Corporate Citizenship and Urban Problem Solving: The Changing Civic Role of Business Leaders in American Cities,
By Harold Wolman et al. (Brookings Institution, 2006).Read more
Key Questions
  • How can regional economies become more resilient?
  • How do regions that face economic shocks recover?


Key Findings

  • Regions focused on manufacturing and with a poorly educated population are both more likely to suffer from and rebound quickly  from an economic downturn.
  • Regions that have many export industries are more resilient to employment downturns.
  • The greater the income gaps between rich and poor, the more likely the region is to lose jobs during economic shocks and the longer it will take to recover.  Yet, it is also more resilient to downturns in gross metropolitan product.
  • Responding with new policies after a regional downturn is less effective than insulating a region against downturns.