CENTER FOR POLICY ANALYSIS

Massachusetts Benchmarks Project

The Massachusetts Benchmarks Project is designed to position the University of Massachusetts as a major source of objective information on the Massachusetts economy and to make it a leading source of non-partisan economic analysis for state government and regional economic development agencies. The project consists of several initiatives, including a state index of leading economic indicators, periodic reviews of key industries in Massachusetts, a quarterly survey of public opinion on important economic issues, and a quarterly report on the Massachusetts economy. photos

Introduction to Benchmarks

The University of Massachusetts began the Massachusetts Benchmarks Project in September of 1997, a statewide economic development project. The project is designed to position the University of Massachusetts as a major source of objective information on the Massachusetts economy and to make it a leading source of non-partisan economic analysis for state government and regional economic development agencies. The project consists of several initiatives, including a state index of leading economic indicators, periodic reviews of key industries in Massachusetts, a quarterly survey of public opinion on important economic issues, and a quarterly report on the Massachusetts economy. The quarterly economic report provides information on trends and performance in the state's seven economic regions: the Boston Metro, Northeastern, Southeastern, Cape Cod, Central, Western, and Berkshires Regions.

The Massachusetts Benchmarks Project is coordinated through the office of the Vice-President for Economic Development and the Donahue Institute , but much of the regional research is conducted by organized research units at the four UMass campuses. The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Policy Analysis is responsible for tracking economic indicators, business clusters, and business news considered uniquely important to the Southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod regions. Dr. Clyde W. Barrow, Director of the Center for Policy Analysis, is the regional analyst for Southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod, and the Islands.

The regional data analyses, the state index of economic indicators, a quarterly survey of opinion on economic issues, and selected analytic articles will be published in the Massachusetts Benchmarks Quarterly a journal sponsored by the University of Massachusetts.

Definition of the Southeastern Massachusetts Region

Southeastern Massachusetts consists of 48 cities and towns in Bristol, Plymouth, and Norfolk Counties. The region occupies 1,224 square miles and has a population of 1,024,179 (U.S. Census 2000). The major cities in the region, which account for about 37% of the region's population, are Attleboro, Brockton, Fall River, New Bedford, and Taunton. The Southeastern region is geographically and economically diverse. The coastal areas are occupied by working ports, upscale marinas, and pristine beaches. National historical districts are within walking distance of advanced research laboratories. Farms and cranberry bogs surround traditional manufacturing centers that are in the process of shifting to computer-assisted production technologies. Because of its size and diversity, Southeastern Massachusetts is often viewed as having three distinct economic areas: the Tri-Cities, the South Shore, and the South Coast. The three areas are woven together by a regional transportation network that includes the Route 24/I-495 Axis (Tri-Cities), Route 3 (South Shore), and I-195 (South Coast).

Reports conducted by the Center for Policy Analysis for the Southeastern region of MassBenchmarks include:

Toward a New Prosperity: Building Regional Competitiveness Across the Commonwealth (Southeast Region) (Fall 2002)

Clyde W. Barrow, "From Deindustrialization to Divergence", MASSACHUSETTS BENCHMARKS QUARTERLY (Spring 2000)

Clyde W. Barrow, "A Region of Growth without Development", MASSACHUSETTS BENCHMARKS QUARTERLY (Summer 1998)

Clyde W. Barrow, "Staying Ahead of the Curve: A Second Chance", MASSACHUSETTS BENCHMARKS QUARTERLY (Fall 1997)
Definition of the Cape Cod & Islands Region

The Cape Cod and Islands region consists of 23 towns in Barnstable (Cape Cod), Dukes (Martha's Vineyard), and Nantucket Counties. Barnstable County, the region's single largest area, covers 396 square miles with 500 miles of shoreline and a total population of 246,737. The Cape Cod municipalities with the largest populations are Barnstable (46,417), Falmouth (30,157), and Yarmouth (21,600). Dukes, the second largest county (104 square miles), is six miles southeast of the Cape in Nantucket sound. Nantucket County lies about 20 miles offshore to the south of the Cape and covers an area of approximately 48 square miles. The entire region is well-known for its beaches, ocean views, and quaint villages. Tourism, seasonal residents, and population growth are currently driving the region's continuing economic expansion. With more than 5 million visitors each year, tourism accounts for approximately 44 percent of the region's total economic base.

Reports conducted by the Center for Policy Analysis for the Cape & Islands region of MassBenchmarks include:

Cape Cod and the Islands: B&B + R&D = A New Economy (Fall 2005)

Toward a New Prosperity: Building Regional Competitiveness Across the Commonwealth (Fall 2002)

Clyde W. Barrow, "Cape Cod & the Islands: More Than a Resort Economy," Massachusetts Benchmarks Quarterly (Summer 2001)

Clyde W. Barrow, David R. Borges, and Shawna E. Sweeney, "Help! Wanted: Cape Cod's Summer Workforce." (October 2000)

Victor Gautam, "Cape Cod and the Islands: Working toward a Sustainable Year-round Economy", MASSACHUSETTS BENCHMARKS QUARTERLY (Summer 1999)

Industry Studies

Industry studies conducted by the Center for Policy Analysis for MassBenchmarks include:

More than Dollars Alone: The Economic and Security Significance of Hanscom Air Force Base and the Natick Soldier Systems Center
August 2004
Authors: Clyde W. Barrow, David R. Borges, et al.
Sponsor: MassDevelopment Corporation

Project Description: An analysis of the statewide economic impacts of Hanscom Air Force Base and Natick Soldier Systems Center.

Click here for a copy of the report (732k pdf)

The Marine Science and Technology Industry in New England

Authors: Clyde W. Barrow, Rebecca Loveland, David Terkla
Sponsor: UMass Economic Project

New England’s marine science and technology industry today has grown through technology, sophistication and market outlook into a robust cluster that covers five states. In 2004, 481 firms in this marine science and technology cluster directly employed more than 38,906 people in New England and produced annual sales worth over $4.8 billion. This reports examines the marine science and technology industry in New England.
For a copy of the report click here : click here for a copy of the article

The Massachusetts Marine Economy

August 1998
Author: Daniel Georgianna
Sponsor: UMass Economic Project

The project will monitor the Massachusetts marine economy on a quarterly and annual basis. The study will create and maintain a data base on the marine resources industry in Massachusetts, monitor developments within the industry, and publish an annual report on the industry.

For a copy of the report click here : click here for a copy of the article

The Massachusetts Textile & Apparel Industries

August 1998
Authors: Clyde W. Barrow and Shawna E. Sweeney
Sponsor: UMass Economic Project

The project develops a base line analysis of the Massachusetts textiles industry by creating a textile industry-specific data base, monitoring technological and business developments within the industry, and publishing an annual report on the Massachusetts textile industry.

The textiles industry is often considered an unimportant industry in Massachusetts, since much of the industry migrated to southern states during the 1920s and 1930s (e.g., Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Alabama, Texas). In fact, textiles accounts directly for only 1% of total employment in the state. Nevertheless, the industry remains exceptionally important to the economic vitality of Southeastern Massachusetts. For example, the textiles industry still accounts more than 11% of total employment in the city of Fall River, and 13% of the total wages earned in Fall River(Barrow and Hogan, 1994). It is estimated that the textiles industry generates as much as one-third (1/3) of the total employment in Fall River when indirect and induced impacts are included in a measurement of its economic impact on the Fall River. Equally important is the fact that the textiles industry pays wages higher than the local and regional average for Fall River, while offering full-time jobs that often include health care and retirement benefits. Thus, the industry remains a key generator of high quality manufacturing employment in Southeastern Massachusetts.
The project will develop a base line analysis of the Massachusetts textiles industry by creating a textile industry-specific data base, monitor technological and business developments within the industry, and publish an annual report on the Massachusetts textile industry.

The textiles industry is often considered an unimportant industry in Massachusetts, since much of the industry migrated to southern states during the 1920s and 1930s (e.g., Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Alabama, Texas). In fact, textiles accounts directly for only 1% of total employment in the state. Nevertheless, the industry remains exceptionally important to the economic vitality of Southeastern Massachusetts. For example, the textiles industry still accounts more than 11% of total employment in the city of Fall River, and 13% of the total wages earned in Fall River(Barrow and Hogan, 1994). It is estimated that the textiles industry generates as much as one-third (1/3) of the total employment in Fall River when indirect and induced impacts are included in a measurement of its economic impact on the Fall River. Equally important is the fact that the textiles industry pays wages higher than the local and regional average for Fall River, while offering full-time jobs that often include health care and retirement benefits. Thus, the industry remains a key generator of high quality manufacturing employment in Southeastern Massachusetts.

The textiles industry has long been considered a "declining" industry in Massachusetts, particularly when compared to its historic role as part of the state's core economic base from 1830-1930. However, despite widespread perceptions that the textiles industry is a "dinosaur" labor-intensive industry or a "sweatshop" employer, the Fall River textiles firms alone invested between $40 million and $60 million in advanced production technology and environmental protection measures in the early 1990s to meet the challenges of global competition and more stringent environmental regulations. Thus, unlike other declining industries facing crisis in Southeastern Massachusetts (e.g. fishing and apparel manufacture), the textiles industry responded to the 1990-91 recession and to the challenges of renewed global competition (including the North American Free Trade Agreement) with new investment and marketing strategies. Most of the remaining firms are now competitive in the new global economy because of investment in advanced production technologies, a shift into high quality specialty fabrics, and the concentration on niche markets. As a result, textiles is one of the only manufacturing industries in Massachusetts to show an increase in total employment since 1993.

Significantly, a recent survey of local textiles employers indicates that the southeastern states (and not foreign or offshore operation) are still the main competitors with Massachusetts in attracting new investment in the textiles industry. Interestingly, much of the attractiveness of the southeastern states as a favorable business climate is linked to those states' funding of textiles manufacturing programs through public universities, the existence of advanced university research and development, and technical assistance provided to the industry by public universities. Thus, the vitality of the region's textile industry should continue to improve as a result the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's new membership in the federally-funded National Textile Institute, the restructuring and expansion of the Textiles Manufacturing program at UMD, and the creation of a new Advanced Technology Center and Research Park in Fall River, Massachusetts.

For a copy of the report click here

For a copy of the article click here

Other industry studies by the UMass Donahue Institute can be accessed here: http://www.donahue.umassp.edu/publications/publications.htm

Correspondence and inquiries should be addressed to:

The Center for Policy Analysis
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
285 Old Westport Road
North Dartmouth, MA. 02747-2300

Phone: 508-990-9660
Fax: 508-999-8374

Email: cbarrow@umassd.edu