Empowering Cities to Accelerate Equitable Growth

A State Policy Blueprint for Inclusive Municipal Contracting

Ben Forman, Angelia Heimsoth, Priya Lane, Miles Roper and Oren Sellstrom
Prepared in partnership with Lawyers for Civil Rights, this study surveys the landscape for inclusive municipal procurement in Massachusetts. The analysis reveals large racial and ethnic disparities in public contracting and surfaces changes in state law that will empower cities to implement effective supplier diversity policies. Building on a 2021 MassINC report highlighting the economic imperative to support read more
Topic(s): Jobs and Economic Security, Economic Development, Gateway Cities

Sizing Up Massachusetts’ Looming Skilled-Worker Shortage

Ben Forman and Simone Ngongi-Lukula
In an extensive 2014 report with the UMass Donahue Institute, MassINC predicted the 2020’s would be the first decade in Massachusetts history to post a reduction in the state’s working-age, college-educated population. Drawing on the limited data available, this research brief explores how the COVID-19 pandemic disruption could impact our previous estimate. The analysis surfaces read more
Topic(s): Education, Jobs and Economic Security

Pathways to Economic Mobility

Identifying the Labor Market Value of Community College in Massachusetts

Ben Forman
New research shows that simply attending community college increases employment rates, while a certificate or degree sparks increases in employment and earnings – including an increase of as much as $14,000 annually in salary in some fields. read more
Topic(s): Education, Jobs and Economic Security

The Promise and Potential of Transformative Transit-Oriented Development in Gateway Cities

Daniel Hodge and Ben Forman
Gateway Cities can accommodate thousands of new housing units and thousands of new jobs on the vacant and underutilized land surrounding their commuter rail stations. This walkable, mixed-use urban land offers an ideal setting for transit-oriented development (TOD) to take hold. Currently, Gateway City commuter rail stations get minimal ridership from downtown neighborhoods and few read more
Topic(s): Jobs and Economic Security, Economic Development, Transportation, Gateway Cities, Research, Transformative Transit-Oriented Development

Workforce Development Transformation Case Studies

Three Examples of Systems Change through Collaborative Gateway City Leadership

Ben Forman and Jodi Wilinsky Hill
It is with great pleasure that we offer three case studies to complement the report Calling All Leaders: An Action Guide to Workforce Development Transformation. The action guide outlined the grand dimensions of the challenge by the numbers, and contrasted the need for workforce development services with the limited resources available. These case studies show read more
Topic(s): Education, Jobs and Economic Security, Strong Communities, Economic Development, Gateway Cities

Calling all Gateway City Leaders

An action Guide to Workforce Development Transformation in Massachusetts

Ben Forman
In Gateway City regions with an aging and under-skilled labor force, workforce development is an essential ingredient for future economic growth. This new “action guide” provides a helpful playbook for local leaders looking to engage in efforts to transform these systems. In plain English, the report breaks down workforce development to give municipal leaders a read more
Topic(s): Jobs and Economic Security, Strong Communities, Economic Development, Gateway Cities, Research

Going for Growth

Promoting Immigrant Entrepreneurship in Massachusetts Gateway Cities

Ben Forman and Sandra Larson
This policy brief explores opportunities to leverage the energy immigrant-owned businesses bring to Gateway Cities as an economic development strategy. Immigrant-owned shops are already revitalizing downtowns in Gateway Cities across the state. These small storefront businesses could become launching pads to larger enterprises, providing an even greater contribution to local and regional economic development. But read more
Topic(s): Jobs and Economic Security, Strong Communities, Economic Development, Gateway Cities

Transformative Redevelopment

Strategic State Policy for Gateway City Growth and Renewal

Alan Mallach, Ben Forman and Margaret Keaveny
Transformative redevelopment describes public and private financial support for projects that catalyze signifi­cant follow-on private investment, leading over time to the transformation of an entire downtown or urban neighbor­hood. This approach seeks to repair weak real estate mar­kets where development costs outweigh returns, creating a gap that impedes the flow of private investment; it contrasts read more
Topic(s): Jobs and Economic Security, Strong Communities, Economic Development, Gateway Cities

Recapturing the American Dream

Meeting the Challenges of the Bay State's Lost Decade

Andy Sum, Mykhaylo Trub'skyy, Ishwar Khatiwada, Sheila Palma and Joseph McLaughlin
This joint project with the Center for Labor Market Studies was made possible by the generous support of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and Partners Health Care. More so than any previous report, this research sheds light on the economic well-being of workers at a moment when public attention is hyper-focused on policymaking to read more
Topic(s): Education, Jobs and Economic Security, Economic Development

MassINC’s Middle Class Index

Ben Forman, Steve Koczela, Caroline Koch and Robert David Sullivan
The first-of-its-kind Middle Class Index is designed to serve as a barometer of the status of middle class residents. Composed of 26 different indicators, the overall score for Massachusetts in 2010 was 97.4, down 2.6 points from the benchmark figure of 100 for the year 2000. Nationally, the index number was 94.2. The index number read more
Topic(s): Education, Jobs and Economic Security, Economic Development, Government Accountability
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