Category: Economic Development Administration University Center (EDAUC)

Mapping Oregon’s Economic Development Ecosystem

Posted on by Robert Parker

Oregon is unique given what falls inside its borders; there is a little bit of everything. The Oregon landscape ranges from coastal environments, to lush valleys, mountain ranges, forests, and deserts. Local economies are driven by diverse industries such as agriculture, forestry, tourism, manufacturing, technology, and more.

Economic development organizations, services, and practitioners across the state work to support Oregon’s economy and meet the needs of local and regional communities. Mapping the economic development ecosystem in Oregon provides an opportunity to increase awareness and collaboration across sectors and jurisdictions.

How did the study evolve?CPW Student Team

In 2019, IPRE faculty initiated discussions with representatives from OEDD (Oregon Economic Development Districts) about the potential to study Oregon’s economic development ecosystem. This work builds on statewide economic development needs assessments IPRE conducted in 2012 and 2017. After considerable discussion, a team of graduate students led by IPRE faculty member Melissa Graciosa dug into the project in 2021. The project had three objectives:

  • Define baseline data on the economic development ecosystem.
  • Provide a resource that defines roles, services, and economic development organizations at the state level and regional level.
  • Support planning for a resilient and equitable economy.

The research team quickly found out that very little research exists on economic development ecosystems. Thus, the team created a definition and a framework for the study:

An economic development ecosystem looks at how the complex network of economic development organizations, services, populations, and supporting infrastructure is interconnected and related. 

In short, viewing economic development as an ecosystem applies a systems thinking approach to the field.

What did the study find?

The IPRE research team identified 859 unique economic development organizations (EDOs)providing 1,358 services. Seventy percent of these organizations were local, 59% provide targeted and direct services, and 52% of them are non-governmental organizations. Other key findings include:

  • 41% of organizations report having one or fewer full-time staff; 76% have five or fewer
  • 76% had annual budgets of less than $500,000
  • 82% agree that EDOs must coordinate to be effective; 64% report that coordination is difficult but 84% view it as worth the effort
  • Conditions disincentivize collaboration and organizations frequently compete for funding and staff
  • Capacity and funding were identified as key barriers to collaboration
  • Complex geographies and misaligned service territories make collaboration difficult
  • EDOs want more interaction and support from the state
  • Equity, inclusion, and resilience are emerging as focal areas for many organizations
  • EDOs want to better connect with local and minority-focused community development organizations

What does IPRE recommend?

The Ecosystem Mapping project is an important first step in better understanding how economic development activities are structured in Oregon. The report is intended to inform a deeper dialog about how to best implement economic development activities in the state. IPRE made three primary recommendations:

  1. Develop and embrace strategies to link, leverage, and align actors, resources, and activities in the ecosystem
  2. Develop a shared vision for economic development and encourage stronger state and regional leadership
  3. Establish equity and inclusion as a guiding principle for economic development

This Ecosystem Mapping project is part of IPRE’s ongoing contributions to economic development in Oregon through our Economic Development Administration-funded University Center. We want to thank EDA for their continued support as well as all of the individuals and organizations that participated in this study.

You can access the report by clicking on the cover below. More information about the project is available at the Economic Development Ecosystem Mapping website.

Achieving Covid-19 Herd Immunity in Oregon: Progress & Challenges

Posted on by Robert Parker

IPRE researchers Ben Clark and Robert Parker released their second report on perceptions of Oregonians about the COVID-19 vaccine. The study in included 686 respondents; 351 in urban areas and 335 in rural areas. The research concludes that most Oregonians  know someone who had COVID-19 and more than one in four people know someone who died. A small but significant percentage of Oregonians continue to dismiss the risks associated with COVID-19 which could risk the progress seen in combating the pandemic over the last 6 months. ​

At the time the survey was conducted (May-June 2021) 70 percent of Oregonians were fully vaccinated. This is considerably higher than many states, but still leaves a lot of Oregonians at risk. The survey results indicate that Oregon’s urban residents are more likely to be vaccinated (fully or partially) than rural residents by a wide margin. About 47 percent of rural residents are not vaccinated, compared to only about 21 percent of urban residents. The difference between these groups is statistically significant. Compared to our survey in the fall of 2020, more people are saying no to the vaccine, which should be a sign of concern.

Some differences exist based on the location of the individuals who have not gotten the COVID-19 vaccine. Of the non-vaccinated rural Oregonians, 60 percent indicate they have no plans to vaccinate, while another 25 percent indicate that they ’may’ vaccinate but have not yet made their decision. Only about 53 percent of non-vaccinated individuals in urban areas indicate they will not get the vaccine, while 32 percent ’may’ get the vaccine.​

The report includes a series of recommendations related to cash incentives, communication, and information. It will take considerable effort to get the last 30 percent of Oregonians vaccinated and a key concern is that the virus mutates to forms that the vaccines are ineffective on.

Readers can access the full report using the link below.

IPRE_covid_survey_spring21