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Research

BRAC aggressively conducts research on topics that impact economic development in the Baton Rouge area. This research is used internally to guide and support BRAC's advocacy efforts and distributed externally to educate the regional community on important issues. BRAC publishes its research in a variety of formats, including issue briefs, research series, presentations, chart packs, and white papers. Listed below are BRAC's public policy research publications.

2008

This strategy paper highlights the relevance of several pieces of current legislation to BRAC’s public education reform priorities. The paper describes the importance of quality public education, and the impact it has on the Capital Region’s economic future. Click here to watch the BRAC Cast.
This strategy paper outlines BRAC's priorities for strategic investments in Louisiana Economic Development (LED) being considered during the current session of the Legislature. The paper states the importance of ensuring that LED has the necessary resources to maximize their economic development efforts. Click here to watch the BRAC Cast.
This strategy paper outlines BRAC's targeted priorities for proposed governmental ethics legislation being considered during the current session of the Legislature. The paper states the importance of Louisiana maintaining its position atop national ethics laws rankings due to its positive effect on economic development. Click here to watch the BRAC Cast.
This strategy paper outlines the importance of proposed legislation to the transformation of LSU into a premier public research university. BRAC also endorsed six pieces of legislation increasing operating and infrastructure funding for LSU. Click here to watch the BRAC Cast.
This strategy paper outlines BRAC’s support for the Governor’s proposed redevelopment of Louisiana’s workforce systems and how BRAC will help facilitate executing the statewide program on a regional level. The strategy paper also details the current challenges associated with the workforce situation as well as specifies the impacts that the pending legislation will have on addressing the issues from both a state and regional level. Click here to watch the BRAC Cast.
What will 2008 bring in ...
job growth?
housing?
industry expansion?

Get answers to these questions and other insights about where our economy is headed in 2008 from Stanford Group Company's Baton Rouge Area Economic Forum 2008: Insights for Action presented by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber.

2007

A white paper detailing a strategy for transforming LSU into a top-tier public research university by 2025. Transforming LSU into a Premier Public Research University: An Investment in Louisiana's Economic Future lays out the steps that Louisiana would need to take for LSU to climb the rankings of such publications as U.S. News & World Report and describes how a national-caliber LSU would be a catalyst for economic development success for the entire state.
The brief outlines five major criticisms of collective bargaining agreements, stating that they put union membership interests ahead of students, provide no clear link to increased student achievement, present obstacles to reform, minimize stakeholder input, and pose other significant risks to the community despite safe alternatives.
The Baton Rouge Area Chamber and the City of Baton Rouge recently returned from the 4th Canvas Workshop. Approximately 150 business and community leaders spent four days in Portland, Oregon to reflect on important policy issues that face our community - and to learn how civic leaders in Portland address similar issues.

Participants on the 2007 trip to Portland discussed smart growth in river cities, environmental sustainability, regional transportation strategies, knowledge-based economic development, and building a creative, diverse, and entrepreneurial community with Portland's business leaders and community organizers.

To learn more about the Canvas Workshop, it's results over the years, and the lessons to be learned from Portland, click here.
Worker scarcity is not an issue isolated to any one firm or industry in the Baton Rouge area. Nor is it an entirely new phenomenon nationally. However, in today’s hurricane recovery, the availability of qualified labor has moved to the top of the list of Baton Rouge area business concerns. In 2007, it surpassed 2006’s leading corporate killjoy, traffic congestion, in BRAC’s Baton Rouge Area Economic Outlook Survey.

Spurred by the increasing difficulty to match workers with job vacancies, a community-wide call to accelerate workforce solutions emerged. The Baton Rouge Area Chamber—as part of its 2007 Business Plan—commissioned a workforce assessment from a team of economic and workforce development consultants Younger Associates (YA) and Wadley Donovan Group (WDG). The result was the 2007 Baton Rouge Area Workforce Assessment, involving a survey of 1,240 Baton Rouge area residents and 96 employers, 22 community stakeholder interviews, and extensive statistical analyses. The assessment yielded a robust examination of labor supply and demand, job candidate strengths and weaknesses, current workforce development efforts, and untapped labor resources.
The state Department of Transportation and Development reports a backlog of highway and road projects amounting to $14 billion and growing. Additional funding is needed to address substandard road conditions, structural failure of infrastructure, and traffic congestion. The members of the coalition are encouraging the Legislature to allocate new recurring funds toward the development of the transportation network across the state. Issued by a coalition of chambers from around Louisiana, this issue brief suggests that state voters will face large tax increases for road capacity projects in the future if the Legislature does not allocate sufficient new recurring funding for road capacity in the FY08 state budget.
The issue brief outlines a wide range of strategic options with potential to better serve the Baton Rouge area and catalyze our region’s economic growth. Options evaluated include the expansion of existing airport facilities, the construction of new airports, and the use of airline incentives to attract new carriers to the region.
Keynote speaker Edward V. Garlich highlights national economic and federal policy trends that will impact our region in 2007.

2006

This Issue Brief examines the East Baton Rouge City-Parish selection process for architectural, engineering, and surveyor firms.
This Issue Brief discusses one potential improvement to the East Baton Rouge City-Parish government: the creation of “at-large” seats on the Metropolitan Council.
This benchmarking analysis examines transit program funding and operations of the Baton Rouge Capital Area Transit System (CATS) and 22 other U.S. metropolitan transit systems.
This Issue Brief analyzes historical levels of salary and benefits for council service in East Baton Rouge, and benchmarks compensation of the Metro Council against the salary and benefits levels of 39 other city councils from across the U.S.
The five white papers of this research series examine the perceptions and realities of public education in the nine-parish Baton Rouge area and suggests opportunities for reform.
The ACCRA award-winning Insights for Action is the culmination of an unprecedented top-to-bottom look into the Baton Rouge economy following the 2005 hurricane season, reviewing region- and parish-specific factors in the context of national trends and industry perspectives.
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