IMPLAN Blog

There are nearly as many different types of jobs as there are menu items on Starbucks' ever-changing menu. Naturally, counting them all up into one unified number in the results of an impact analysis grossly under-represents the diversity and dynamism of any given region’s workforce. But it’s possible to look at the unique job taxonomy of a region while still appreciating the big picture. Here are a few key job-related details to consider when interpreting employment impacts:

America has had a long and sometimes troubled relationship with its energy sources—it’s not just your imagination. A lot is said nowadays about the rise in renewable energy and the downfall of traditional fossil fuels. But when it comes to making the switch to solar or other renewable energy sources, the United States might be torn between two lovers. But don’t give up on us—despite the storied history, there’s still a lot of road ahead.

Recently I sat down with IMPLAN economist, James Squibb, to discuss his recent paper acceptance at the upcoming International Input-Output Association (IIOA) conference in Brazil this June. This paper, an extension of Incorporating Port-Level Foreign Trade Data into IMPLAN’s Gravity Model to Estimate Region-Specific Foreign Trade Rates published in 2017 by James and Jennifer Thorvaldson, attempts to validate the reliability of the new gravity model updates. Here is what I learned.

There’s a saying in the office here at IMPLAN that goes something like “our clients are often way more creative than we are at finding ways to use the software.” That’s never been more true of the Rand corporation in their collaboration with the Louisiana State University in their joint 2-year research project “Economic Evaluation of Coastal Land Loss in Louisiana” which was commissioned by Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority in December of 2015.

Mistakes, we all make them. What if I told you that I could help you not make them? You’d probably be pretty happy, right? IMPLAN is a very useful tool and is easy to use when you know what all the terminology means. Luckily for you, IMPLAN offers a help desk where previous customers have probably asked the same questions that you may have. If not, it also allows you to post any questions and get a response. But in the interest of ease, here are a few of the common issues that IMPLAN users face and how to address them:

There’s never an easy path to affecting policy change whether we’re talking on the national, state, or local level. But among the tools available to give clarity to the conversation, economic contribution and economic impact analyses rank among the most widely used.

Funding. It’s a word that strikes fear in public and private institutions alike. An almost sisyphean task that repeats on daily, monthly, annual cycles without end. It echos on the radio, online, in emails from museums, charities, and alma maters. And in the end, how do you know if the chase for funding had the desired, tangible effect?

IMPLAN can be used to quantify the impact of a given industry on its local economy, including ones as varied and nuanced as Tourism.

Late last year, we published an example of this—a case study highlighting how the City of Baltimore and the Waterfront Partnership illustrated the need for reinvestment in its Inner Harbor using impact analysis. Much news media attention and high level support (from the city’s then-mayor and the CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee) for the reinvigoration of the harbor was garnered as a result of the analysis using IMPLAN data. You can read that case study here.

So, you’re a business professional, consultant, researcher, or local government or agency hoping to gain insight and quantify the impact of an industry, a new or existing business, expected growth or changes, or a specific event to the economy of a particular region.

You're going to want to choose a widely used database and software package that uses input-output analysis based on interdependencies of economic sectors.