The Policy Council works with a wide and ever expanding network of public and private partners. Our work is supported and complemented by the work of many other public policy organizations in the region and world. The following is an incomplete list.

Geography: Humans and the Environment

Information related to humans and their place in the physical and social environment.

Brown University EarthLab
geographical information and remote sensing data

Grow Smart RI
a statewide public interest group fighting sprawl and leading the charge for better-managed growth

Uconn Center for Land Use Education and Research
information for land use decision makers

Public Policy & Issue Analysis

There are many dimensions to economic wellbeing. The following are information sources that complement information available from the Economic Policy Council.

Housing Works
a coalition to end one crisis: the state's severe shortage of quality, affordable housing

Massachusetts Technology Collective
a catalyst for growing the innovation economy in Massachusetts

MassInc
research focused on the challenge of achieving the American Dream in Massachusetts.

National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education
research on public policies that enhance Americans' opportunities to pursue and achieve high-quality education and training beyond high school

New England Futures
a marketplace of ideas for the future of New England

Rhode Island Kids Count
a childrens policy organization that provides information on child well-being

Rhode Island Public Expenditures Council (RIPEC)
public policy research dedicated to a more effective, efficient, and equitable government in Rhode Island

State Science & Technology Institute
a resource for the states on science, technology, and innovation economic development

Statewide Planning
statewide plans across all functional areas

The Poverty Institute
policy analysis, education and advocacy to promote economic security for low- and moderate-income Rhode Islanders and equitable tax and budget policies

The Rivers Council
coordinates efforts to improve and preserve the quality of the Rhode Island's rivers and other water bodies

Data

The following are some of the most broad and useful sources of economic data. The Economic Policy Council relies on extensive primary data collection supported by federal and state governments.

Bureau of Economic Analysis
the source for personal income and state product data

Bureau of Labor Statistics
the federal gateway to labor market data for the nation, all states, and counties

MassGIS
Massachusetts geographic and environmental data

RI Census Data Center
a gateway to Rhode Island demographic information

RI Geographic Information Systems
a clearinghouse of RI datasets for users of GIS

RI Labor Market Information
the source for Rhode Island employment, wage, vacancy, and occupational data

The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
a database of economic indicators for all New England states

The Providence Plan
city and neighborhood data for Providence

US Census Bureau
the source of most demographic information in the United States

Economic Development Implementation

Economic development offers a range of services helping existing and new companies apply new ideas, become more efficient, achieve higher quality, develop and implement product, process, and business model innovations. As a foundation for those strategic interventions the Economic Development Corporation serves as the gateway to the full range of core business support services.

Brown Forum for Enterprise
a forum fostering a culture of innovation and enterprise within Rhode Island

Business Innovation Factory
a community of innovators collaborating to explore and test better ways to deliver value

Entrepreneurship Forum of New England
a community for New England entrepreneurs, investors, and business practitioners to come together

EPSCoR
a partnership between state government, institutions of higher education and industry to effect lasting improvements in Rhode Island research infrastructure and national R&D competitiveness

Every Company Counts
a partnership to support Rhode Island small business

RI Economic Development Corporation
Rhode Island's largest economic development agency and a gateway to all economic development programs

RI Manufacturing Extension Partnership
works with manufacturers to create high productivity, innovative operations

Slater Technology Fund
supports the development of emerging industries with potential for significant long-term growth within the State of Rhode Island

Workforce & Education

Investment in the education of the current and future workforce is by far the biggest category of public economic development spending.

Governor’s Workforce Board / Human Resources Investment Council
RI's state workforce investment board responsible for implementation and strategy

RI Board of Governors of Higher Education
responsible for public higher education in Rhode Island

RI Department of Education
responsible for public K-12 in Rhode Island and adult basic education

Tech Collective: InfoGroup and BioGroup
information and bio technology cluster associations

United Way of Rhode Island
creating sustained changes in our community that reduce need

Indicator Reports & Rankings

We use indicators to reveal progress for concepts that cannot be measured comprehensively or directly. Is our economy becoming more prosperous, more sustainable, more competitive or more innovative? We caution that many published indices or rankings lack validity. It is especially difficult to develop valid composite indices where variables are weighted and averaged together. We recommend the following indicator reports as informative.

Center for Enterprise Development
indicators of economic opportunity

Community Indicators Consortium
helping communities develop community indicators: links to community indicators from all over the US

Mass Technology Index
indicators of the Massachusetts innovation economy

New Economy Index
indicators of the transformation to the New Economy

The Boston Indicators Project
measuring what the Boston community values

The Milken Institute
Milken publishes a number of indices including the State Science & Technology Index