by Laura M. Massie

CWRU's Regional Economic Issues (REI) has unveiled a Web portal that provides public access to detailed economic data and many policy reports and center presentations.

REI, part of the Weatherhead School of Management, announced that its Community Information Sharing Project will increase the level of public understanding and improve the quality of dialogue related to regional economic issues so that local communities can make better informed economic development decisions.

"For public policy to be appropriately consequential it must have the understanding and support of local residents as well as the community's decision-makers," said Gregory Stoup, REI's research director and architect of the information sharing project. "REI hopes that this project will stimulate new thinking on important public policy issues and raise the community's awareness of the fundamental forces shaping our region's economic performance."

"The Community Information Sharing Project is designed to be complimentary and supportive of REI's Making Change partnership with Ideastream in order to bring economic development issues to the community and engage a dialogue at the level of the individual," Stoup added.

Ideastream is a collaboration among CWRU, PBS' WVIZ-TV and WCPN-FM (90.3) that provides new ways for all three organizations to serve the community and share the research and activities taking place on CWRU's campus.

The community will have access to REI's regional industry database and a host of presentation scripts related to public policy and economic development strategy, said Stoup. The database provides community access to detailed time series information on regional employment, establishments and payroll trends associated with the nation's 50 states and its largest metropolitan areas. The interactive interface will allow users to obtain information on the strength and relative position of state and metropolitan economies within 128 industry categories.

Policy reports and presentations are already part of the public domain, but the new portal will allow more complete access to the center's archives.

In addition, a recently revised version of REI's "Profile of the Northeast Ohio Economy," is now available on REI's Web site. The profile is an annual update, which includes the most current economic metrics on the Northeast Ohio economy in an easy-to-read narrative. The document also summarizes many of the important economic development issues facing Northeast Ohio and the local organizations addressing them.

REI was established in 1986 by the Cleveland Foundation and the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland to improve the quality of information available on the region's economy and to help the community make better economic decisions. REI's studies have contributed to the Northeast Ohio region's economic development by providing information and policy guidance to local decision-makers. By making this information public, REI hopes to bridge the gap between citizens and public decision-makers regarding Northeast Ohio's economic development efforts.

The Community Information Sharing Project Web portal and "Profile of the Northeast Ohio Economy" can be viewed through REI's Web site, http://www.weatherhead.cwru.edu/rei. For additional information, contact Stoup at (216) 358-5535 or gms9@weatherhead.cwru.edu.

 

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