Few writers are doing a better job of contextualizing the challenges confronting how America’s economy is undergoing a fundamental shift better than Walter Russell Mead.

This blog is his latest in describing the breakdown of what he calls the “Blue Model” and what might replace it. The whole thing is, as usual, fascinating, but note this particularly insightful section,

“The progressive era centralized power — from legislative bodies to executive and administrative ones and from states to the federal level. These were seen to be necessary changes in the age of progressive social engineering, but post-progressive America is likely to be more interested in keeping power closer to the grass roots: returning authority from administrative bodies, certified experts and presidential and gubernatorial appointees back to directly elected legislators and from Washington back to the states.”

At the Buckeye Institute we could not agree more. Pushing power down and empowering citizens and localities is a critical part of reviving our economy and our communities.