The Michigan Economic Development Corporation, which distributes billions in select tax credits and corporate subsidies, says its new slogan, “Make It In Michigan,” is working. It uses a few anecdotes in an attempt to prove the point.

The slogan was launched in 2023. Since then, the MEDC spent $720 on million a program that has yet to create a single job. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the MEDC and some lawmakers are fighting to keep a program to allocate billions to select business subsidies rather than to spend that money on roads, schools or cutting taxes.

So far, the MEDC fares poorly even when looking at the short-term and its anecdotal evidence. The broader evidence is more damning still. Since 2023, Michigan added 92,000 jobs, a 2.1% increase that was the 33rd largest increase among the states — below average. Michigan, in recent years, has fallen further behind when it comes to jobs, population and income.

Michigan is, sadly, among the leaders when it comes to distributing special corporate incentives. The amount of money a state spends on subsidies to select businesses has little to do with its overall economic performance, however. Such efforts are wasteful, not productive.

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