Social impact investing is increasingly being utilized by Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). However, CDFIs are often limited in how they can use the funds. The capital may be restricted to a narrow geography, or constrained to certain programmatic areas. Therefore, even with the expansion of their sources of capital to encompass social impact investing, CDFIs continue to explore new avenues for capital diversification. Read More

The craft beer industry has expanded rapidly in recent years. Between 2009 and 2016, the number of craft breweries expanded from 1,596 to 5,234, according to the Brewers Association. The number of craft breweries increased by 16.6 percent between 2015 and 2016 alone. Read More

Among its devastating effects, Hurricane Katrina had a destructive impact on regional employment. The storm, and its aftermath, eliminated more than 190,000 jobs in New Orleans alone. In the months following the disaster, employment rolls fell precipitously and remained stubbornly low, even as investment in the city began to increase. Now, over 10 years later, the New Orleans economy is bouncing back, and a focus on clusters and entrepreneurship are some of the major drivers of the city’s post-Katrina growth. Read More

The 2016 Menino Survey of Mayors, named in honor of late Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, uses a series of open- and closed-ended questions to probe mayors about their top priorities. More than 100 mayors participated in the survey, with responses coming from all over the country. Read More

A better future depends on science, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship, but it also depends on harnessing these tools as a way to solve society’s shared problems. Growing jobs and wealth in a community is the goal of nearly all economic development programs, but more can be done to ensure that the public good is given an equal priority when developing regional prosperity strategies. Read More