Commentary and Analysis

Several forces propelled by the COVID-19 pandemic may intersect to spin new life into more of the Midwest's still-struggling factory towns, second-tier cities, and rural hinterlands.

Brexit became official on Friday. Reset takes a look at what the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union might mean for Chicago and the Midwest.

Across the Midwest, the virus is revealing the always tenuous hold on a decent income for many.

Where once there was one Midwest, rising and falling with the industrial era, there are now two Midwests, marching to different economic drummers.

Shayndi Raice and John Austin join Deep Dish to tell a story of the bright spots as well as blights in the Midwest region encompassing all or part of 12 US states.

States like Michigan are feeling the lack of international students and refugees as immigration restrictions cut off the Midwest's economic lifeline.

There are two Midwests now. While the nation was focused on this old Midwest, the new Midwest has taken shape. It’s a Midwest that lives on brains, not brawn. It produces ideas and services, not ingots and autos.

The Midwest possesses huge political and economic power in the United States. Richard C. Longworth explains the five things to know about the Midwest in 2020.

Today the Midwest is neither an economic monolith nor, despite lingering popular misconceptions, a “Rust Belt.” As the region's capital, Chicago can and should be at the center of a great reimagining of the heartland's economy.

There are very tangible things that the next president can do to fuel growth in the Midwest — from increasing Federal R&D in health, energy, water and mobility solutions to focusing that effort through research-university-hubbed Innovation Institutes.