The United States and Britain are in the middle of an enormous economic and societal shift brought about by globalisation and the automation enabled by advanced technologies. 

These trends have without question brought enormous benefits.  But there is growing acknowledgement that there are places and people who have been left behind, leading to economic insecurity and political unrest.

While large, urban areas with college education workers are booming, many other areas are still experiencing declining business starts, sluggish job growth, and persistent poverty.

 In the wake of the financial crisis these communities are also finding themselves shut out of the capital needed to rebuild their main streets and revitalize their communities.  

In the United States, a bipartisan provision of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 created Opportunity Zones which strives to provide catalytic capital to these communities.  It works in this way.  After investors sell appreciated assets such as stocks, bonds, or real estate, they can reinvest the money gained from those sales into certain equity-financed projects located in an Opportunity Zone.  

The adage “good things come to those who wait” does not apply to the work facing America’s governors and mayors. In this case, good investments will come to those who hustle and adopt the boldest policies to best position their Opportunity Zones to succeed.