Basic Economic Security Tables™Index (BEST)

“The Basic Economic Security Tables™ Index (BEST) was developed by Wider Opportunities for Women and the Center for Social Development at Washington University-St. Louis, and is maintained by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. The BEST addresses several pieces of the larger basic economic security picture–basic needs, savings, and employment-based benefits–and allows a broad and complete view […]

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STATS America

STATS America is an easy to use resource for a wide variety of data from many different sources (i.e. U.S. Census, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and Bureau of Labor Statistics). Data profiles on population, housing, income and labor are easily accessible at the state, county, and metro levels. Not only does STATS America compile data from many public and […]

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Community Economic Development Preparedness Index (CEDPI)

The Community Economic Development Preparedness Index (CEDPI) is a comprehensive tool to help communities analyze their readiness for economic development.  The program enables communities to identify and assess their strengths and weaknesses before developing a plan or taking action to improve economic development opportunities in the community. The index is based on individual perceptions of activities and conditions in the […]

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First Impressions: A Community Assessment and Improvement Program

First Impressions is a community assessment and improvement program developed by Andy Lewis and James Schneider. This program matches “sister communities” and uses a “secret shopper” approach to evaluating communities. This simple yet effective tool helps people identify and assess their community’s strengths and weaknesses. Initially developed in 1991, First Impressions has been used in hundreds […]

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