MassBenchmarks Co-Editor Michael Goodman was interviewed by WBZ NewsRadio following the release of the journal’s latest economic report. The report shows that state economy grew at a rate of 2.3 percent in the last quarter of 2011, down from the previous quarter’s 3.2 percent rate and lower than the U.S. rate of 2.8 percent. This is the first time since the second quarter of 2010 that Massachusetts has lagged behind the nation in economic growth. The slowdown is attributed to a drop off in demand for information technology and a decline in hiring.

In the interview, conducted by WBZ reporter Anthony Silva, Goodman discusses the economic headwinds that continue to hamper the economy’s recovery in both Massachusetts and the nation. While the economy is slowly moving in the right direction, job stimulation is key. “We need to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time,” he says, “stimulate the economy short-term and resolve fiscal imbalances in the long-term.

Listen to the story, “MassBenchmarks Report: Economy Downshifted In 2011” (WBZ NewsRadio, 1/27/12)