Activities

The activities of the Global Midwest Initiative (GMI) include the following:


Annual Conference

GMI hosts the annual Globalization and the Midwest conference, a one-day event that brings together academics, practitioners, business leaders, government officials, policymakers, and the media from across the Midwest who have, until now, been dealing with global Midwest topics in relative isolation. The conferences are designed to stimulate discussion, convene thought leaders, and develop recommendations for how to best position the region in the era of globalization.


Global Midwest Policy Briefs

GMI's Policy Briefs are concise, timely pieces published by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs that frame and analyze pressing issues facing the Midwest and offer recommendations for how best to move forward. Policy Briefs are the result of original research or synopses of longer published works. Authors are experts drawn from academia, business, civic organizations, government, journalism, and think tanks, and the views expressed are those of the author and not those of The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. They are released on a quarterly basis. Richard C. Longworth, senior fellow at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, author Caught in the Middle: America’s Heartland in the Age of Globalism, and former senior writer for the Chicago Tribune, is the editor-in-chief of the Policy Briefs.


Heartland Papers

The Heartland Papers are a monograph series of original research that delves deeply into the challenges and opportunities of globalization’s impact in the Midwest region. Published by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Heartland Papers address issues that are vital to the future of the Midwest as it transitions from its industrial past and offer recommendations on how the region can succeed in the future. Authors are experts drawn from academia, business, civic organizations, government, journalism, and think tanks, and the views expressed are those of the author and not those of The Chicago Council on Global Affairs.


Seminars

GMI's Seminars convene policymakers, practitioners, scholars, and civic and private sector leaders who have experienced and thought hard about key aspects of globalization and their impact on the Midwest. The Chicago Council organizes seminars in collaboration with other institutions or individuals, and they are often held in different locations around the Midwest. Each seminar assembles participants from around the region who contribute to the analysis and problem-solving of the identified topic identified.