Institute releases competitiveness report. (On First Reading).Why is California better off than Mississippi? Why is Massachusetts better off than almost every other state? Why do some states fail to improve the lives of their citizens? A new study from the Beacon Hill Institute Founded in 1991, the Beacon Hill Institute (BHI) is the research arm of the Department of Economics at Suffolk University in Boston. The institute draws on faculty and student resources to analyze issues. at Suffolk University During the 1990s Suffolk University constructed its first residence halls, began satellite programs with other colleges in Massachusetts, and opened campuses in both Madrid, Spain, and Dakar, Senegal, (the Suffolk University Dakar Campus). in Boston suggests that the answer may be found by looking at the competitiveness of states. Defining competitiveness as "the ability to ensure and sustain a high level of per capita income Noun 1. per capita income - the total national income divided by the number of people in the nation income - the financial gain (earned or unearned) accruing over a given period of time and its continued growth," institute authors Jonathan Haughton and Vadym Slobodyanyuk looked at more than three dozen factors that included such things as government, fiscal policy, infrastructure and other aspects that represent an element of competitiveness, and ranked the states accordingly. The final product is an extensive yet accessible work, "State Competitiveness Report 2001," a study that goes beyond conventional standards to examine all aspects of a state's economy. Among the study's key findings: * For overall competitiveness, Delaware ranks first, and Mississippi ranks 50th. * Some states have a high ranking See Google bomb. overall, despite adverse government policies. For overall competitiveness, Massachusetts ranks first in human resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. , technology and finance, but it's 47th for government and fiscal policy and 41st for environmental policy. * Cold weather is no obstacle. Four of the top 10 states are in New England. The Sunbelt states fall mainly in the bottom half of the overall rankings. * Technology is important, but not, in and of itself, determinative. Some states (Maryland, Rhode Island Rhode Island, island, United States Rhode Island, island, 15 mi (24 km) long and 5 mi (8 km) wide, S R.I., at the entrance to Narragansett Bay. It is the largest island in the state, with steep cliffs and excellent beaches. , New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of ) rank high for technology, but have a relatively low overall ranking. * Every state has room for improvement. Massachusetts needs to reduce government spending. New York needs to bring down housing costs. California needs to increase health insurance coverage and lower electricity prices. "If a state wants to be more competitive, it should look at the details of our study and find out where it ranks high and where it ranks low," author Haughton says. "States that take our findings to heart will find themselves better positioned to attract business investment and workers, improve their productivity, and in general make their residents more prosperous." |
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