24 October 2005

Senator Jarrett T. Barrios
Representative Alice K. Wolf
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
The General Court
State House
Boston, MA 02133-1053

Dear Mr. Barrios and Ms. Wolf:

I apologize that I cannot attend the hearing on October 26, but I am happy to express an opinion on the proposed Senate Bill No. 257, which I favor.

The world is changing rapidly in important respects, and what economists call the “comparative advantage” of different regions changes with it. It would be a big help to the working people and businesses of Massachusetts to have a careful study of the likely future of employment in the Commonwealth and what we could do to improve it. The emphasis in the study should be on quality jobs.

It is important that the study should aim at the fundamentals of comparative advantage, and not on parochial complaints and wish-lists. To that end, I would urge that a second academic economist be added to the membership of the proposed Commission. The universities of the Commonwealth are thought to be one of its advantages. This would be one small way to make use of them.

Sincerely yours,

Robert M. Solow
RMS/jmm