Economic Development
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This collection provides resources for state and local governments, elected officials, citizens, the business community, and students on economic development-related issues and includes strategic plans, market analysis studies, and research on emerging topics in economic development. Visit the IPA website for more information.
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Item Comprehensive Impact Analysis of the Freeman Arts Pavilion(Institute for Public Administration, 2023-03-31) Mix, Troy; Vichot, ReidelFunded by the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation, this report details the results of an IPA analysis of the economic impacts of the Freeman Arts Pavilion’s programming from 2008 to 2022. Included within are quantitative estimates of the employment and spending contributions that the Freeman Arts Pavilion makes to Sussex County, Delaware. Whether based on the results of detailed economic models or survey responses, the Freeman Arts Pavilion makes a significant impact to Sussex County’s economic and cultural landscape, and its programming is greatly appreciated by patrons and community partners.Item Comprehensive Impact Analysis of The Freeman Stage(Institute for Public Administration, 2019-08) Mix, Troy; Schenk, EllenFunded by the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation, this report details the results of an IPA analysis of the economic and non-economic impacts of The Freeman Stage’s programming from 2008 to 2018. Included within are quantitative estimates of the employment and spending contributions that The Freeman Stage makes to Sussex County and qualitative assessments of the cultural impacts made by The Freeman Stage performances and its Arts in Education Program. Whether based on the results of detailed economic models or survey responses, it is clear that The Freeman Stage makes a significant impact to Sussex County’s economic and cultural landscape, and its programming is greatly appreciated by patrons and community partners.Item Complete Community Enterprise District Evaluation: Report on Project Activities(Institute for Public Administration, 2018-08) DeCoursey, William J.; Mix, Troy; Oza, JeelCommissioned by the Delaware Department of Transportation, this report details the results of an IPA analysis of the Complete Community Enterprise District (CCED) legislation, which was signed into Delaware law in May 2016. According to the synopsis of the legislation, this Act “defines criteria for a local government to enter into an agreement with [DelDOT] to create transit-oriented development districts, called Complete Community Enterprise Districts...for the purposes of promoting economic development.” IPA’s evaluation focused on placing CCED within the context of similar initiatives in Delaware and nationwide; detailing the steps and procedures necessary to designate a CCED; analyzing the spatial suitability of areas within Delaware for CCED designation; and engaging planning and community stakeholders in conversations to assess and prioritize CCED implementation steps.Item Inventory of Small Business Assistance Programs in Delaware(Institute for Public Administration, 2018-02) Kelly, Christopher; Barr, Hannah; Weir, Gerard; Mix, TroyFunded by the Division of Small Business within Delaware’s Department of State, this report lists and characterizes small business support services provided to Delaware businesses by public and nonprofit organizations. The inventory reflects best available information gathered by IPA from July through September 2017. Together with Delaware’s Small Business Landscape—available on the IPA publications webpage (www.bidenschool.udel.edu/ipa/resources/publications)—this report contributes to a comprehensive snapshot of small business conditions in Delaware and an assessment of policy and program opportunities the state could pursue as part of future small business and economic development efforts.Item Delaware's Small Business Landscape(Institute for Public Administration, 2018-02) Mix, Troy; Kelly, Christopher; O'Neill, Sean; Barr, Hannah; Konzelman, Nicholas; Weir, GerardFunded by the Division of Small Business within Delaware’s Department of State, this report provides a snapshot of small business activity in Delaware, an inventory of existing small business support services provided by public and non-profit organizations in Delaware, and an initial assessment of potential policy and program opportunities the state could pursue as part of future small business and economic development efforts.Item Recommendations for Economic Development Action through Delaware’s Division of Small Business(Institute for Public Administration, 2018-04) Mix, Troy; Kelly, Christopher; O'Neill, Sean; McGowan, WilliamFunded by the Division of Small Business within Delaware’s Department of State, this report provides recommendations to assist the Division in carrying out their business and economic development support mission. These recommendations were developed through extensive research and community outreach, and they reflect a widespread desire for the division to focus on developing a transparent, equitable, and vibrant economic development ecosystem through collaborative action.Item Toward Heritage Tourism in Sussex County, Delaware(Institute for Public Administration, Coastal Community Enhancement Initiative, and the Center for Historic Architecture and Design, 2007-11) Homsey, Andrew R.; Ames, David; Jiang, Xuan; Gayley, RebekahThis research assesses the feasibility of heritage tourism as part of an economic development strategy for Sussex County, Delaware. The research presented within indicates that a program of heritage tourism has a great deal of promise, especially given that there is an already highly developed tourist infrastructure in many areas. In 2003, the county attracted 2.5 million visitors, mostly to the beach and resort communities in the east. There are, however, a relative lack of tourist draws in many other areas of the county. This study identifies seven distinct thematic groupings of heritage resources around which tourism programs may be built. Many of these thematic groupings have a wide geographic range, occurring both in the more populous and visited east as well as the less known regions in the central and western portions of the county. The seven themes are: the natural environment (including the coast), maritime tradition, beach resort communities, historic architecture, agriculture and agri-tourism, small towns, and religion.Item Blue Collar Task Force: Report and Recommendations(2014-05-23) The Blue Collar Task ForceIn response to a joint executive and legislative directive authorized by the 147th Delaware General Assembly, this report serves as an analysis and provides recommendations on behalf of the Blue Collar Task Force (Task Force) regarding existing state policies, programs and practices to attract, retain and expand upon blue-collar jobs in Delaware. The report details the activities of the Task Force between August, 2013, and January, 2014, and includes ten recommendations to Governor Jack Markell and the Delaware General Assembly for action.Item Delaware Libraries Governance and Funding: An Assessment of Operational Funding and Governance Issues for the Proposed Duck Creek Regional Library(2013-05) Freel, Edward; Bucsak, JennaLeeThis report assesses options for developing a reasonable and attainable operating funding plan to bridge the gap between the Smyrna Public Library's current funding and the projected funding for the new regional library. This report also suggests various governance options for directing the future regional library. The recommendations offered in this report are premised on the state delivery systems being maintained with little or no change to the status quo.Item Stimulating Broadband Adoption in Delaware: A Planning Tool(2012-02-29) Homsey, Andrew; Patterson, Theodore; O'Boyle, ToddIn mid-‐December 2009, the state of Delaware was awarded funds to research and publish broadband options for its citizens. Governor Jack Markell designated the Department of Technology and Information (DTI) as the agency to receive, apply, and implement the funds, according to the guidelines and mandates of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). In 2010 the broadband-‐mapping portion of this program was initiated by DTI, consisting of data collection, the development of a statewide broadband-‐availability map, transmission of those data to NTIA for the development of its national broadband map, and the long-‐ term maintenance of these data by the state. The University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration (IPA) is assisting DTI with project-‐data collection, public outreach, and public policy development. The Broadband Planning Tool, which the current document represents, includes the following components. Chapter 1. Getting the Most Out of Broadband frames the issues related to broadband in Delaware by exploring the benefits of broadband, comparing available technologies, and examining the challenges to improving connection. Chapter 2. Geospatial Analysis of the Factors Affecting the Adoption of Broadband in Delaware describes and quantifies the factors that contribute to broadband connectivity or digital isolation. Appendix 1 provides maps of the latest data available to visualize community “hotspots” and “coolspots” of connectivity across Delaware. Appendix 2 outlines how to use the Broadband Mapping Tool. The tool enables planners and local government officials to evaluate their own broadband challenges and opportunities. It includes three Delaware broadband case studies from across the state to demonstrate how to improve connectivity. Appendix 3 lists federal grant and loan programs available to communities and agencies across the state. Each entry in the resource list includes a description of the purpose of funding, and qualifications for each program, along with contact information.Item Fiscal Impacts of Development: Literature Review and Discussion(2010-09-10) Mix, Troy; Hurley, RachaelThis project reviewed literature discussing the fiscal impacts of development and offers relevant commentary and recommendations in light of Delaware’s governance and growth characteristics. Chapter 1 reviews a broad set of literature outlining the fiscal impacts of growth and development, describes Delaware’s relatively unique governance characteristics, and discusses the distribution of the fiscal impacts of development across Delaware’s state and local governments. Chapter 2 describes and presents analysis of the various fiscal-impact-analysis methods used by governments to estimate the cost and revenue impacts of development. Chapter 3 outlines fiscal-impact-analysis applications that could be implemented by Delaware’s state, county, and municipal governments, offering several recommended first steps that would aid implementation. Finally, the annotated bibliography in the Appendix should prove a valuable resource for future research as it lists and briefly summarizes references reviewed for this report.Item Broadband Opportunities for Sussex County(2009-08-18T20:04:09Z) Mix, Troy; Beauchamp, David; Wendt, MatthiasInfrastructure is a key ingredient in the recipe for regional economic prosperity—a constant requirement as the U.S. economy evolves. Roads and rail connect cities, the electric grid connects industry with energy, and telephone lines connect businesses with customers. The current economy places a premium on the high-speed transfer of data that broadband infrastructure makes possible. Broadband—defined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as advanced communications systems capable of providing high-speed transmission of services such as data, voice, and video over the Internet and other networks—has become a staple infrastructure in the diet of competitive regional economies (Federal Communications Commission, February 2009). This report highlights the opportunity for Sussex County, Delaware, to harness broadband infrastructure for economic development and urges policy action in that regard. Broadband technologies are described and defined in terms of their speed, availability, and future promise. Chapter 2 reviews selected community benefits and specific applications of broadband. Chapter 3 summarizes the status of broadband infrastructure and use in rural areas of the United States, with a particular focus on Sussex County. Finally, Chapter 4 provides a framework for policy discussions aimed at enhancing and expanding broadband infrastructure and use in Sussex County.Item Demographic Multipliers in Delaware(2009-08-18T20:03:50Z) Mix, Troy; Xuan, JiangThis report summarizes research conducted to determine Delaware’s demographic multipliers. The report defines demographic multipliers, lists and describes Delaware’s residential and nonresidential multipliers, and provides guidance for using and updating multipliers. The appendices list all the multipliers calculated and collected for this report, and these data are also available in Microsoft Excel format to assist with future research and analysis.Item Infrastructure in Sussex County, Delaware: Where, When & How?(2009-01-16T20:38:55Z) Bierma, AlisaThis report stems from a desire to know more about vital infrastructure in Sussex County, Delaware. Where is the current infrastructure located? How much capacity is present? How many more users can that capacity accommodate? What came out of those questions were not answers but many more questions regarding not only what currently exists, but how it came to be and what the future holds.Item Greater Georgetown Area Comprehensive Market Analysis(2009-01-16T20:38:26Z) Mix, Troy; Doss, Manoj; Temko, Ezra; Tolino, Amanda; Wendt, MatthiasThe Greater Georgetown Area Comprehensive Market Analysis was prepared for the Greater Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Georgetown to identify current and future opportunities for business expansion in the Georgetown area.The purpose of this project was to investigate regional market conditions in order to identify current and future opportunities for business expansion in the Greater Georgetown area. In that regard, this report contains a demographic and economic analysis of the population most likely to frequent Georgetown businesses, the results of a customer-intercept survey aimed at gathering opinions about shopping in the Georgetown area, an inventory of businesses within the 19947 zip code, and a comparative analysis of existing and potential retail and food-services sales within the area. Based on these data and analysis, a recommended path forward was prepared with an eye toward capitalizing on existing and emerging market opportunities and preserving those market advantages that the Greater Georgetown area currently enjoys.Item Heritage Tourism Planning Guidebook: Methods for Implementing Heritage Tourism in Sussex County, Delaware(2008-08-25T19:10:55Z) Xuan, Jiang; Homsey, AndrewThis Guidebook is designed to help communities in Sussex County, Delaware, build and implement heritage tourism programs. The strategies and activities in this Guidebook can be adopted by local communities wishing to use their cultural and historic resources to strengthen the local tourism industry. Heritage tourism has been shown to be an effective tool in the development and diversification of local economies aiming to foster strong economic growth while protecting a valuable but vulnerable cultural heritage. Heritage tourism is defined as “traveling to experience the places, artifacts, and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present. It includes cultural, historic and natural resources” (National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2008). Cultural heritage tourism has a wide range of potential benefits, a strong market potential, and has seen a surge in popularity and implementation in various places in recent decades. Many local government agencies, preservation groups, and economic development advocates have a very positive view of heritage tourism, since it can be a powerful engine of economic growth while helping improve the quality of life for local communities.Item Fiscal Impacts of Development: Literature Review and Discussion(2008-08-25T19:00:15Z) Mix, Troy; Hurley, RachaelA few simple premises about growth and development directed the preparation of this report. First, regional growth and development certainly brings with it a whole host of benefits and costs. From a positive perspective, growth and development can provide residents with additional choices of where to live, work, and shop. It can generate new jobs, new tax revenue, and higher incomes and property values. However, growth and development can also create negative consequences, ranging from degraded environmental quality and increased traffic congestion to the loss of rural and historic character. Also, there is far from complete agreement on what constitutes good or bad growth. One person may aspire to live in a large home in a rural area, while another may derisively refer to such a home as a “McMansion.” Finally, reasonable people, regardless of their favorite housing style, tend to agree that growth and development does have a significant impact on state and local governments’ budgets. At the most basic level, increased population leads to increased costs.