Ned Hill

Dr. Edward [Ned] Hill is a professor of economic development in the John Glenn College of Public Affairs and in Knowlton College of Architecture’s section on City and Regional Planning. Hill teaches Introduction to Public Affairs, a graduate seminar on economic development policy and practice, and doctoral seminars on public finance and economic modeling for public policy research. His latest co-authored book, “Coping with Adversity: Regional Economic Resilience and Public Policy,” was published by Cornell University Press in November 2017.

Hill was recruited to The Ohio State University in 2015 to participate in its Discovery Theme on Materials and Manufacturing for Sustainability and to lead public policy research related to manufacturing in the College of Engineering’s Ohio Manufacturing Institute. Hill is also part of Ohio State’s Discovery Theme in Sustainable and Resilient Economy.

Hill served as dean of the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University (2007 to 2015) and was professor and distinguished professor of economic development (2001-2015). Hill joined Cleveland State University’s Levin College in 1985, was promoted to associate professor in 1990, professor in 1993, and professor and distinguished scholar in 2001. He was Cleveland State University’s first vice president for economic development, with an appointment that began in 2005.

Hill is a frequent speaker on economic development, workforce issues and manufacturing modernization for the National Conference of State Legislatures, International Economic Development Council and others. He has been interviewed by the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, C-Span, The Weekly, NPR’s Marketplace, BBC Radio, Inside Climate News, Utility Dive and Energy News, as well as many of Ohio’s daily newspapers and public radio. The interviews have covered his recent research on the attempts to re-regulate electricity generation in Ohio, the economic impact of tariffs, the performance of the manufacturing sector in the U.S. and Ohio, and the attitudes of Ohio’s middle class on foreign affairs and investment with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Hill is a former non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Institute (2000-2015), editor of Economic Development Quarterly (1994-2005), and chair and member of the advisory board of NIST’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) (2007-2014). He is currently a board member of the MEP’s Northeast Ohio affiliate, MAGNET (2009 to present).

Ohio governors Taft, Strickland and Kasich, as well as former Ohio Speaker of the House of Representatives Batchelder, have appointed Hill to commissions and boards. The Cuyahoga County Mayors and Managers Association recognized Hill’s service to the communities of Northeast Ohio in 2016 with its George V. Voinovich Municipal Service Award. And the Ohio Manufacturers Association’s Board of Directors presented Hill with its Legacy Award in 2005 and again in 2016 for his work on behalf of Ohio’s manufacturers.

He holds a doctoral degree in urban and regional planning and economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as a master's in city planning. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and urban studies from the University of Pennsylvania.

Areas of Research

• Economics
• Energy Policy
• Local and Community Development
• Local Government Management and Policy
• Public Policy and Analysis
• Urban Policy and Housing