The Heartland Papers are a monograph series devoted to helping the Midwest succeed in an era of globalization. Published by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs as part of its Global Midwest Initiative, Heartland Papers address issues that are vital to the future of the Midwest as it transitions from its industrial past.

• Issue 2 - "Past Silos and Smokestacks: Transforming the Rural Economy in the Midwest," by Mark Drabenstott, director of the Center for Regional Competitiveness at the Rural Policy Research Institute and chairman of the Territorial Development Policy Committee for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
  
• Issue 1 - "Mexican Immigration in the Midwest: Meanings and Implications," by Rob Paral, research fellow for the Immigration Policy Center of the American Immigration Law Foundation and the  Institute for Latino Studies of the University of Notre Dame