Laurie White, president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, keeps a board covered in bad news -- headlines from The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and The Economist about how badly the economy of the state has been faring. Rhode Island's unemployment rate was 12.7 percent in November, the second highest in the country after Michigan.

"Our problems have made not just national but international headlines," White said. "That motivates me to find a new way forward."

Rhode Island is pinning its hopes on a strategy dubbed "Strengthening Providence's Knowledge Economy." It has involved bringing together local and state government, the Chamber of Commerce, the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC) and hundreds of small hi-tech software companies.

Full Story: Special Report: America's route to recovery Source: Reuters, December 29th, 2009 Author: Nick Carey Added on December 30th, 2009 at 10:34 am, by Matt Mikula