May ushers in good news   

Greetings and congratulations to Doug Noonan, the Institute's director of research. Not only has he been promoted to a full professor at SPEA IUPUI (effective July 2015), he has been awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to study the employment behavior of artists with fellow SPEA (IU Bloomington) professor Joanna Woronkowicz. 
  
Navigating the health care system can be a challenge for individuals, families and even state government. And, figuring out a way to pay for these costs can be problematic too. In Managing Local Government Employees Health Insurance Costs, the Indiana Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations has summarized the constraints and recommendations to address this widespread issue.

 

It is also a great time to applaud the efforts of our student research assistants. These students have mastered SPEA's undergraduate and graduate programs, and have gathered and analyzed research alongside our team. It's an honor to acknowledge our students' contributions and wish them the very best on their future endeavors. 

Through the Institute's longstanding partnership with the John H. Boner Community Center, we are thrilled to share our research expertise for a new initiative. The Near Eastside of Indianapolis is now a Promise Zone recipient, easing the way for federal guidance and assistance to get the needed resources to help the area succeed. Our team joins Indiana University, IUPUI and other key partners on this valuable effort.

 

In honor of Memorial Day, I offer a special thank you to our country's veterans. Your service and dedication are more than appreciated. 

R. Mark Lawrance, Director

(317) 261-3010 mlawranc@iupui.edu
    @mlawranc
Our Work

Institute research director to study employment behaviors of artists
Doug Noonan, IU Public Policy Institute research director, and Joanna Woronkowicz, an assistant professor at SPEA IU Bloomington, were awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to examine key economic issues facing artists.  

  

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey and data from crowdfunding websites Kickstarter and Indiegogo, the researchers will address how the Great Recession impacted employment of artists and will compare various crowdfunding campaigns. 

ARTIST EMPLOYMENT GRANT  
 

State Flag     
Managing local employee health insurance costs 

As Indiana local governments have struggled to do "more with less," they have faced rising costs to provide employee health benefits. Counties, townships, cities and towns, and school districts are pursuing a variety of options to cope with these changes.

 

Since 2008, the Indiana Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, has surveyed local governments about rising healthcare costs and strategies for managing those costs each year. The commission heard expert testimony in 2012 and 2014, resulting in its most recent work: Jamie Palmer, senior policy analyst, leads the commission.
  
SUMMARY: MANAGING LOCAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE HEALTH CARE COSTS 

READ THE FULL REPORT  
SPEA Professor Sheila Kennedy and MPA grad student Matt Impink
  IU Professor Sheila   
  Kennedy and Matthew   
  Impink

 
Student achievements
Student research assistants help Institute staff and faculty fulfill our mission as we take on new initiatives and continue projects with longtime clients. 

Matthew Impink has worked on projects for the Institute and the IU Center for Civic Literacy. For his efforts Impink won SPEA's Outstanding MPA Student Award. This month, he also graduated from SPEA at IUPUI.
  
Other graduates are: Amy Banks who received a Bachelor of Science in Non Profit Management; and Jessica Majors who received a MPA in Policy Analysis. 
  
The Institute also thanks the following student research assistants for the important work they contributed this year:

Leslie Amaya, Antoine Burks,  Karla Camacho-Reyes, Jamar Cobb-Dennard, Brittney Glaze, Joti Kaur, Shannon Link, Jessica Majors, Sydni Pierce and Megan Selander. 
NEED HELP? CONTACT US
 
autumn-trees-fence2.jpg
  
Did you know?
Near Eastside gets Promise Zone designation

 

The Near Eastside of Indianapolis has been named a federal Promise Zone. With this national designation, the federal government will work with local leaders to navigate funding options and increase opportunities to achieve neighborhood-created goals and priorities.

 

The Institute is partnering with the John H. Boner Community Center, the Promise Zone's lead organization, to evaluate, track, and report data for the initiative.

 

Other key partners include Indiana University and IUPUI.

 

Indianapolis is one of the eight recently designated Promise Zone cities nationwide. 
 
> NEAR EASTSIDE PROMISE ZONE DESIGNATION
 
> INDY 'PROMISE ZONE' TO PUSH DEVELOPMENT ON NEAR EASTSIDE  

 
Out and about

Senior Policy Analyst Drew Klacik delivered remarks at the Grant County Economic Growth Council banquet.

The banquet, which received coverage in the Chronicle-Tribune, celebrated 30 years of community collaboration.

Klacik also highlighted the growth of manufacturing in urban areas with the Indianapolis Business Journal.

 
> ECONOMIC GROWTH COUNCIL CELEBRATES 30 YEARS 


> WILL MANUFACTURERS MOVE BACK TO URBAN CENTERS?


Example Image - 60 x 60 pixels
Example Image - 60 x 60 pixels
Example Image - 60 x 60 pixels
Example Image - 60 x 60 pixels
Example Image - 60 x 60 pixels
Example Image - 60 x 60 pixels

The IU Public Policy Institute delivers unbiased research and data-driven, objective, expert analysis to help public, private and nonprofit sectors make important decisions that directly impact quality of life in Indiana and throughout the nation.

 

 

 

 
Indiana University Public Policy Institute

334 N. Senate Avenue, Suite 300, Indianapolis, IN 46204

(317) 261-3000 | iuppi@iu.edu

www.policyinstitute.iu.edu
Ask Us
  Check us out on Twitter - Join in on the conversation and Follow us 


The IU Public Policy Institute is a multidisciplinary research institute within the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs.