Missouri's in middle in economic development

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- While faring better than most of its neighbors, Missouri's economic development approach ranked in the middle of the pack nationally, according to a new study.

The report released Monday by the Progressive Policy Institute ranks states according to their emphasis on what it describes as the "new economy" -- a focus on such things as technology- and knowledge-based jobs, use of the Internet and worldwide exports.

Missouri's 24th ranking was better than its neighbor states, except Illinois. It was 17th.

"Being in the middle suggests it has some strengths and also has some challenges for moving forward," said Rob Atkinson, vice president of the nonprofit, Washington-based advocacy group and author of the report.

A spokesman for the Missouri Department of Economic Development said the ranking was a good sign, considering the state placed 35th in a similar survey in 1999.

The institute cautioned that improved rankings were not necessarily due to improved economic conditions because it added and changed categories that factored into the overall score.

Among the economic development methods advocated by the group is the clustering of similar businesses in one area. The report praised Missouri for targeting its life sciences efforts in St. Louis and Kansas City. The state department is focusing on industries in life sciences and information technology, those that use advanced manufacturing methods, said spokesman Jim Grebing.