Recent Research

Summary: The place of college in the lives of current and future generations of American families has fun­damentally changed. Once the privilege of a few, college is now a virtual prerequisite for joining and remaining in the ranks of the middle class. This economic reality means more students con­tinue their education beyond high school each year. Ironically, concur­rent with this trend of increased college going, the cost of higher education has become more difficult for Americans of all backgrounds to mange. Aside from a home purchase, a college degree is now the most significant investment many families make.

Summary:

This policy brief examines Massachusetts housing investment over the last decade and a half and finds that state housing programs designed primarily to increase affordability in strong markets have not been able to meet the needs of Gateway Cities. The second in our Going for Growth series, this paper explores new strategies to catalyze the reinvestment Gateway Cities need for vibrant residential neighborhoods.

Summary: Building for the Future analyzes Springfield's social and economic conditions as they relate to future growth and development. This report was prepared jointly by MassINC and the UMass Dartmouth Urban Initiative to inform dialogue around a comprehensive long-term growth strategy for the City of Springfield.

Summary: As Education Reform has been implemented, there has been an accumulating body of evidence about successful practices of high-performing schools that educate predominantly low-income students. In general, these schools use different methods from those of the typical public school. Their guiding premise is that low-income students will require a more intensive education experience than middle-class students. They need more time in class, better-trained teachers, and a rigorous curriculum to enable them to achieve at high levels.

Summary: Although the ongoing worldwide turmoil in financial markets is unprecedented, the resulting decline in capital gains revenues in response to economic events is all too familiar. So too is the harm to the state budget that ensues.

Summary: The spirited conversation sparked by MassINC’s 2007 report Reconnecting Massachusetts Gateway Cities has led many to ask how the state can provide greater support to these communities. Going for Growth is the first in a series of MassINC policy briefs looking at how the state can forge a productive partnership to reinvent and reinvigorate these older industrial cities. Each paper will provide an in depth review of related state policies in areas critical to Gateway City growth, ferreting out their impact on these communities, and proposing forward-thinking reforms and new directions.

Summary: This groundbreaking survey represents the first of its kind for our state-and we believe the first nationally. The choices of young adults about where to live and work are critical to our state's economic future. At the same time, as more and more regions across the country seek to build their knowledge economies, the competition for young skilled workers is growing fierce.

Summary: The Massachusetts state budget has reached a point of reckoning, as the nation’s looming recession threatens to shatter Beacon Hill’s ability to juggle the budget’s structural imbalance and skyrocketing health care costs.

Summary: The Massachusetts economy is the envy of many other states. It consistently ranks among the top in measures of New Economy success. We rank near the top of the nation in our level of labor productivity and have outpaced the nation in recent years in the rate of growth (11.5% versus 10.6%). We have the most educated workforce in the nation and we score near the top in terms of knowledge jobs and innovation capacity.

Summary: Massachusetts has enjoyed one of the most successful economic transitions to a knowledge-based economy anywhere in the world over the last two decades. Statewide trends describe a solid economic turnaround, built on strong institutions, soaring educational attainment and the emergence of knowledge-based industries with high-paying jobs. Yet these broader trends obscure stark geographical variations within the state. On the one hand, Greater Boston has evolved into an even more dominant focal point of the Massachusetts economy than it was 30 years ago. On the other hand, only a few Massachusetts cities and regions are fully participating in the state’s economic reinvention, and the state’s traditional mill communities – the Gateway Cities –may actually be falling farther behind.