Weekly Op-Ed by Michael J. Hicks, PhD @HicksCBER

Honest Self-Assessment Key to Future Growth

From time to time, county and municipal governments face the need to perform economic development planning. Generally, this means outlining priorities for investment in public infrastructure or public services. In some communities, this might be pretty complex, involving some deep thinking about urban expansion over the coming decades. Elsewhere, the planning may be modest, involving expansions of parks or improving a road access.

• Full article: Honest Self-Assessment Key to Future Growth
• Previous article: The Lengthening Impact of COVID

Recent Publications

Don't miss these recent publications produced by CBER researchers:

• Aug. 13: 2020 Manufacturing Scorecard for All 50 States
• July 9: How Many School-Age Children Lack Internet Access in Indiana?
• July 7: Economic Effects of the Changing Energy Mix in Indiana
• June 5: Indiana's Government Modernization Act and Local Government Consolidation Experiences: Process and Politics

COVID-19 Publications

The Miller College of Business has created a Faculty Research Collection to highlight topical research, including work by CBER.

Browse CBER briefs on the impact of COVID-19 on the economy:

• Local, midyear effects: COVID-19 Effects on Indiana’s State and Local Taxes
• Local effects: Preliminary Fiscal Effects of COVID-19 on Indiana’s Local Tax Revenues
• Indiana effects: What Will the Next Three Months Look Like? Simulating the Impact of Social Distancing on GDP and Employment
• U.S. effects: Occupational Exposure to Social Distancing: A Preliminary Analysis Using O*NET Data

Data Spotlight by Dagney Faulk, PhD

September Retail Sales

Retail sales continue to rebound, coming in at $549 billion for September (seasonally adjusted; total retail and food services) despite the pandemic and the reduced federal stimulus. This was a 1.9 percent increase over August and a 5.4 percent year-over-year increase.

• For details, see: https://indicators.cberdata.org/dataset/55/110