Governor Carcieri convened a day-long gabfest of community leaders on Nov. 6 to talk about how to boost the state’s dismal economy, including America’s worst unemployment rate.

Unfortunately, the problem is not a lack of ideas or understanding, but an absence of leadership. In some cases, the General Assembly has shown itself disinclined to rattle powerful special interests, be they unions or yachtsmen. Meanwhile, the governor has failed to advance a big-picture plan, sell it to the public and rally the Assembly to pass it.

What needs to be done is clear enough, and has been for years:

• The state’s costly and underperforming public education system must be improved. That will require giving the managements of school districts more authority to reform, while always putting students’ long-term interests above those of economic and political interest groups. Potential employers often cite low education levels in deciding not to set up shop in the Ocean State.

• Rhode Island’s taxes must be made more competitive with those in neighboring states — in property, income and business levies. After all, people can move . . .

• The state must find ways to reduce its costly and duplicative layers of local and state government, through consolidation. The state can no longer afford to have 39 municipal systems in such a tiny place. It may even be time to consider restoring some of the powers of the state’s moribund counties.

• Rhode Island must make the most of its potential for economic growth by fully developing its ports — including T.F. Green Airport and the seaports at Quonset Point and Providence.

The Ocean State has long wasted much of this great potential geographic comparative advantage. It is, after all, in the Northeast Corridor and very close to the main trans-atlantic shipping lanes. Indeed, international shipping is where the original great fortunes in Rhode Island were made, and then invested in manufacturing and other once highly profitable sectors in the region.

Politicians can talk all they want, but action is sorely needed. It is well past time for leadership.