The Center for Policy Analysis publishes recent studies and interviews in our What’s News! section below. Our other studies reside in their respective Division categories.
Latest Reports and Research
Turners Falls RiverCulture: Experiences & Perceptions
Project Description: The Turners Falls RiverCulture Project is a coordinated effort of cultural programming, which has established a varied calendar of events in Turners Falls aimed at "nurturing local artists and establishing an environment that attracts businesses, residents and visitors." This program evaluation measures the perception of RiverCulture among visitors, local businesses, and creative economy organizations/participants in terms of their knowledge of RiverCulture’s mission and its effectiveness in fostering a strong creative economy in Turners Falls.
New England Casino Gaming Update, 2012
Project Description: Massachusetts residents in 2011 continued their 19-year flirtation with New England’s gaming venues by spending nearly $909 million on gaming and non-gaming amenities at Connecticut's destination resort casinos and at the slot parlors in Rhode Island and Maine, and by making more than 7.1 million visits to those same facilities.
Seasons of Change, Expect the Unexpected: Economic Impact Analysis & Visior Survey
Project Description: UMass Dartmouth’s Office of Professional and Continuing Education (PCE) and its partnering arts organizations have taken a leadership role in introducing artistic events in the city of Fall River aimed at positively impacting economic development. Seasons of Change, Expect the Unexpected, is part of an ongoing initiative by PCE and its partners to revitalize Fall River’s downtown business district and its waterfront by making these areas attractive and accessible to businesses, residents, and visitors.
Seasons of Change is partly funded by the City of Fall River and the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Adams Arts Program. The MCC Adams Arts Program requires that funded organizations document their performance in terms of new revenues, job creation, revitalized communities, and/or increased participation and engagement in cultural activities by residents and visitors. To measure these outcomes, Seasons of Change retained the Center for Policy Analysis to conduct an economic impact analysis and visitor survey of Seasons of Change sponsored and supported activities.
Place Your Bet III: Who Gambles at New England's Casinos and Racinos?
Project Description: Place Your Bet III is the third public release of findings from the CFPA's biennial New England Gaming Behavior Survey, a random sample of 3,839 adult residents of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
Place Your Bet II: The Potential Regional Competitive Advantage of a Non-Smoking
Policy for Massachusetts Casinos
Project Description: Place Your Bet II is the second public release of findings from the New England Gaming Project’s 4th New England Gaming Behavior Survey. The analysis focuses on the potential effect of smoking and non-smoking policy on casino visitations.
Place Your Bet I: Do Massachusetts Residents Still Want Resort Casinos?
Project Description: Place Your Bet I is the first public release of findings from the New England Gaming Project’s 4th New England Gaming Behavior Survey. The report focuses on public opinion about expanded gaming in Massachusetts, a state where casino gaming has become a perennial policy debate in the state legislature. The random sample telephone survey was administered to 1,200 Massachusetts residents and has a margin of error of 2.8% at a 95% confidence interval.
CONNECT Economic Impact Report
Project Description: A collaboration between the Center for Policy Analysis and CONNECT, a partnership of the six public higher education institutions in Southeastern Massachusetts, the report estimates the regional and state economic impact of these six institutions. The report also provides an economic base analysis of Southeastern Massachusetts and additional data that highlight the importance of the CONNECT institutions to the economic vitality of Southeastern Massachusetts. Results of the report were presented at the CONNECT Economic Development Summit. More than 150 leaders from business and industry, education, and community gathered to discuss economic development in Southeastern Massachusetts and make recommendations about the role of higher education.
Business Confidence and Policies Priorities Survey
Project Description: Sponsored by the law firm of Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP, the survey assesses the opinions and perspectives of Southeastern Massachusetts business leaders on a variety of issues that relate to the state of the regional economy, the financial prospects of their individual businesses, and the policy issues of greatest significance to their future development.
SouthCoast Signals 2010
Project Desciption: SouthCoast Signals measures fifty-four social, economic, educational, and environmental indicators in the SouthCoast region of Massachusetts. In all, fifty-four indicators are tracked to determine where the region is and where it is going.
