It goes without saying that we are living in unprecedented times. While the novel coronavirus continues to threaten our nation’s health and wellbeing, protests against racial injustice are prompting business and government leaders to consider how to move forward more equitably.
Responding to these developments is made more challenging by economic trends that have been amplified or accelerated by COVID-19, all of which has prompted unparalleled uncertainty that is rippling throughout the labor market. While Indiana is not immune to this unpredictability, we are fortunate to be in the midst of an ongoing project aimed at exploring the state’s economy and workforce.
Last fall, with the support of Lilly Endowment Inc., the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership launched the Indiana GPS Project. A first-of-its-kind initiative that draws on new research from world-renowned scholars at the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute, the Indiana GPS Project is aimed at propelling the Hoosier economy forward to grow prosperity statewide.
Although this project began during a decade’s long economic expansion, it unquestionably became more significant as Indiana grapples with how to recover from a pandemic-induced recession.
Throughout the latter half of the year, Brookings and AEI will be finalizing and releasing their research. As the research concludes, CICP will gather leaders in multiple regional convenings around the state to discuss findings and recommendations. These convenings will be one of the many ways in which the important work being undertaken by Brookings and AEI will be shared with our fellow Hoosiers.
This blog—Coordinates—is another venue through which we will highlight work from Brookings and AEI. In the weeks and months ahead, we will regularly update it to call attention to important issues uncovered by our research colleagues as well as other ideas and analysis that may be helpful in pointing Indiana’s economy in the right direction.
