Economic Impact Analyses and Forecasting Models

Joint with expert faculty in the Department of Economics at Illinois State University, the Stevenson Center offers a range of services for communities searching for detailed information regarding how a specific business development or larger project might influence their bottom-line. Using IMPLAN, a nationally recognized software package, these analyses can estimate impacts on

• employment growth
• income generation; and
• tax revenue

The models use information on the structure of the local economy as they measure multiplier effects, leakages, and returns on investment. This can be done for individual counties or a set of them tied to a regional economy.

Related services include:

• surveys of consumers, residents, tourists, and/or business owners that add to the detail of an analysis by Stevenson Center faculty and staff;
• expertise in the use of the Census of Housing, Census of Population, County Business Patterns, and Economic Censuses for comparative work or trend analyses; and
• development of forecasting models of various economic/financial indicators for industry and government agencies.

These services are offered at below market rates and performed by nationally and internationally known regional economists, labor economists, and demographers.

For more information, contact the Director of the Stevenson Center, Dr. Frank Beck ( fdbeck@ilstu.edu or 309-438-7090).

For information on how a student intern can aid a redevelopment project in your community: Host a Fellow.