Global Monopoly

Posted by Carol Coletta on August 24, 2008

A photo in the Thursday edition of The Chicago Tribune caught my eye.  The character Mr. Monopoly was standing on a large version of the game board for Monopoly Here & Now:  The World Edition.  Cities visible in the photo include New York, Sydney, London, Beijing, Vancouver, Shanghai and Hong Kong. 

If you live in Des Moines or any number of other mid-size U.S. cities, what are you supposed to think of it?  How threatened should you feel?  Can a city like Des Moines be important in the global economy?  What is its role?  How does it attract talent -- or can it?  How does it develop competitive advantage? How big is its playing field?

These questions are only growing more challenging for mid-size cities.