Category: News

Not surprisingly, many cities with local university or college systems consider themselves lucky to have those institutions as an economic development asset. These higher-ed institutions are a source of pride and also serve as a community gathering place for athletic and academic events. However, for rural communities, colleges and universities are even more important, and…

A few months back, Dr. Roy Cordato published a strong critique of economic impact studies. The essence of his argument—that most economic impact studies are lacking because they don’t address opportunity costs—was nuanced and insightful. And it wasn’t wrong. But does that mean economic impact studies are pointless? Not at all. For one thing, Dr.…

C3 Presents is the music festival promoter that puts on world-class events such as ACL and Lollapalooza. Check out this article about the impact of those festivals and how the company is keeping the festivals safe for attendees!

On June 29th, 2017, the Illinois General Assembly achieved a modern political miracle: they sent SB 1933 to the Governor after reaching a unanimous consensus in both houses of the legislature. Though the universal approval of anything at any level of government is usually reserved for feel-good publicity stunts that do very little, in this…

Anglelos lends his perspective on IBM’s role in Austin’s tech sector in this peice from the Austin American-Statesman. 

By Tim Shea Special Contributor   It’s a story that makes headlines with depressing frequency. A politician rolls out a shiny new plan to revitalize the community—sometimes it’s in partnership with a private entity, sometimes it’s the government alone—waving an economic impact study or similar analysis to prove how awesome it’s going to be. The…

In the race to attract the best and brightest innovators from around the world, the U.S. has just decided to compete in this race while wearing a lead vest. The White House, and more specifically, the Department of Homeland Security, has decided to delay the decision regarding the International Entrepreneur Rule (IER), and the intention…

By Tim Shea Special Contributor For those of you (perhaps wisely) avoiding the news, last week saw the coming and going of the annual G20 summit. This year’s event, taking place in Hamburg, Germany, brought with it the usual slew of sensationalist headlines: riots, and handshakes, and the perennial misunderstanding of the word “tank” as…

By Nicholas Samuel Director of Research   One of the key tasks of an economic developer is to understand and coordinate the “moving parts” of their local economy. This task involves connecting business and service providers, connecting entrepreneurs with mentors and funding opportunities, and ensuring that educators work in conjunction with employers. It is the…

By Tim Shea Special Contributor   It’s that time of year again: bar-b-ques, fireworks, the sweet, sweet vocals of Lee Greenwood piping into your eardrums. It’s America’s birthday, and though things may not be perfect, we still feel it’s worth taking some time to reflect on the past, present, and future of our beautiful nation.…