NEW ENGLAND BRAND

Encouraging a well-established region to cooperate for the betterment of all seems like such a commonplace idea that it is surprising to hear the states of New England – collective image: women in cable-knit/L.L. Bean-type sweater, lobstermen in slicker, brightly colored fall leaves, church steeples – haven’t figured this out. But a recent meeting in Maine urged the region to start working together, including by developing a common brand or image.

Better late than never.

New England projects other images too, naturally. It is strong in higher education, but not growing as fast as other regions in this area; strong in research & development, but falling behind other regions; strong in creative-class employees but not gaining college graduates at the rate of its competitors. Part of the reason for this is that New England is also a relatively high cost place to live, with decrepit infrastructure and long winters. Its lack of regional focus, some economists believe, makes changing this especially difficult.

A report by the New England Council presented last week to the Maine Development Foundation offers several ways to solve some of the region’s chronic problems and make it more competitive. For instance, it looks at the region’s strengths and its costs and makes the case that two underdeveloped industries would do well here. Expanded biotech manufacturing, for instance, would complement the biotech research being done here – if infrastructure costs can be reduced and universities produce graduates trained to work in this field.

Second, as high as the cost of operation is in New England, it can be lower than costs in Europe – the report, prepared by AT Kearney of Cambridge, Mass., concludes “the New England brand is familiar to Europeans, and New England’s history in precision manufacturing should minimize the need for additional training.” Aligned with this suggestion, regionwide trade missions to Europe and aggressive tourism promotion there might also provide opportunities for mutual benefit here.

Gov. John Baldacci must have gotten the report early – he stressed regionalization at a meeting Tuesday between southern Maine and southern New Hampshire, centered on the Kittery-based Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. He stressed that area’s low unemployment, high level of education and its job growth. Any regional approach around military-related development could also include Massachusetts and Connecticut, which have significant capacity in this area.

If any individual state in the region is to avoid slipping economically it must find ways to use its resources more efficiently and to become politically more powerful. Cooperating on a regional level makes sense on both counts, and Maine should push forward on ensuring that this happens not just this year or next but as part of a cultural shift that brands New England as the place where states work together.