A New Metric Model for Economic Development?

Dashboard Indicators for the Northeast Ohio Economy, (57 pages) released by the Fund for Our Economic Future, establishes statistical correlations between economic growth in jobs, output, worker productivity and per capita income, and the eight key factors: Skilled workforce, urban assimilation, racial inclusion, legacy of place, income equality, locational amenities, business dynamics, and urbanization/metro structure.

The study demonstrates that when regional economies chart strong growth, they tend to score well in most or many of the eight categories, and when regional economies chart weak growth, they tend to score poorly in the eight categories. The study provides a different perspective than most indicator reports for measuring the impact of economic development activities. The press release accompanying the Dashboard Indicators release puts it this way:

"While other regions in the country have developed sets of factors to measure economic performance, frequently they are based on what seems interesting or useful. By contrast, The Dashboard Indicators for the Northeast Ohio Economy is based on statistical analysis, not on anyone’s agenda or preconceived ideas. The study allows public policy makers, business people, civic organizations and the general public for the first time to see beneath the surface of an economy and to understand the full range of factors figuring in a region’s economic performance. The study will be used to guide policy makers when developing targeted programs for addressing specific factors of the economy and to track the effect of such programming. For organizations working together toward economic development across the region, the Dashboard provides a common point of reference."

The study concludes there is no silver bullet for economic growth but that, nevertheless, some factors correlate more strongly with economic growth measures than others. For example: