Abstract
As the decade of the 1970s drew to a close, Pennsylvania was in serious economic trouble. The most serious of its problems was its overcommittment to traditional "smokestack" industries, without any strategy for diversification or modernization. The Governor's Office of Policy Development, along with the State Planning Board, developed an economic strategy based on new economic priorities. With this strategy as a starting point, steps were taken to improve the economy and turn Pennsylvania around. The author concludes that the ability to look to the long run is critical for other states that are addressing their own economic problems.