| Center for Business and Economic Research | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | CBER |
| Formation | 1965 (Bureau of Business Research) |
| Purpose/focus | Policy Forecasting and Research |
| Headquarters | Muncie, Indiana |
| Region served | United States, Indiana |
| Director | Michael J. Hicks |
| Parent organization | Ball State University |
| Staff | 22 (2009) |
| Website | http://www.bsu.edu/cber |
The Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER), formerly the Bureau of Business Research, is an economic policy and forecasting research center housed within the Miller College of Business at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. CBER research encompasses health care, public finance, regional economics, transportation, and energy sector studies.[1] In addition to research, CBER serves as the forecasting element in the Muncie area – hosting five state and federal economic forecasting roundtables.[2]
Contents |
The Center for Business and Economic Research was founded the late 1960s as the Bureau of Business Research at Ball State University. The founding was initiated by Dr. Robert P. Bell soon after being hired as the first dean of the College of Business. Dr. Joseph Brown from the University of Georgia became the first director of the bureau.[3] The focus of the bureau was to look for research opportunities and provide faculty with help pursuing those opportunities. Also, focus was placed on using faculty in applied business research.[4]
The focus of the center has changed significantly since its inception. An official name change from the Bureau of Business Research to the Center for Business and Economic Research occurred in 2008. Currently, the center works in the community through services of economic policy research, national, state, and local forecasting, and data analysis.[5]
CBER regularly releases studies and publications on various topics including health care, public finance, regional economics, transportation, and energy.
| Study Name | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| Comprehensive Examination of the Performance
of the Indiana 21st Century Research and Technology Funds [6] |
September 2010 |
| Preliminary Damage Estimates for Pakistani Flood Events, 2010[7] | August 2010 |
| Indiana's Manufacturing Employment Trends[8] | July 2010 |
| The Economic Effects of Indiana's Property Tax Rate Limits[9] | February 2010 |
| Who Lost Jobs When the Minimum Wage Rose?[10] | February 2010 |
| Intrastate Distribution of State Government Revenues and Expenditures in Indiana[11] | January 2010 |
| Business Brief: Trends in Employment and Earnings in Delaware County[12] | January 2010 |
| Cluster Analysis of Key Sectors: Boone County and Surrounding Areas[13] | December 2009 |
| Some Preliminary Evaluation of the Cash for Clunkers Program[14] | November 2009 |
| A Forecasting Mea Culpa – Maybe?[15] | October 2009 |
| The 2009 Holiday Retail Sales Forecast[16] | November 2009 |
| The Indiana State Fair: 2008 Economic Impact and 2009 Projections[17] | October 2009 |
| Cultural Tourism in Indiana: The Impact and Clustering of the Arts and Creative Sectors in This Recession [18] | May 2009 |
| 2009 Manufacturing and Logistics Report Card [19] | February 2009 |
| Local Government Reform in Indiana [20] | January 2009 |
| Tourism-Related Commerce in Indiana [21] | January 2009 |
| Did the Increase in Minimum Wage Cause Our Unemployment Rate to Rise? [22] | September 2008 |
| Understanding the Sub-Prime Markets: A Narrative [23] | October 2008 |
| Understanding Regional Poverty: What is Poverty? [24] | September 2008 |
| New Media, Information Technology and Indiana: A Retrospective on the 2000 Battelle Study [25] | January 2009 |
| 2008 National Manufacturing and Logistics Report Card [26] | May 2008 |
CBER houses the managing office of the American Journal of Business, a peer-reviewed journal that publishes articles aimed at improving business practices or enhancing instructional efforts through application, transfer, and interpretation of knowledge.[27]
CBER also publishes the online publication, Indiana Business Bulletin (IBB). The IBB provides weekly economic analysis, forecasting, and leading economic indicators to the business community, media, and policymakers.[28]