The Bureau of Business and Economic Research published 47 unique articles this past year. Here are the top 10 most popular posts (based on reader views) from 2022. If you have an idea for a blog post, send us an email at [email protected].
10. Spotlight Series: Kim Nichols Dauner (June 22, 2022)
This installment of the BBER’s Spotlight Series featured Associate Professor and Healthcare Management Program Director Dr. Kim Nichols Dauner. When asked about the best piece of advice she’s ever received, Dauner said she really valued the phrase “show up just to see what happens next.”
9. New Year, New Location, New Team (January 6, 2022)
At the start of 2022, the BBER moved back onto the UMD campus in the Economics and Health Care Management Department of the Labovitz School of Business and Economics (LSBE). The BBER also hired two new undergraduate research assistants (UGRAs) – Nana Kofi Austin (Kofi) and Jacque Jones.
8. Priorities for Downtown Waterfront I-35 Redesign (September 8, 2022)
During the Duluth Sidewalk Days Festival, BBER Director Monica Haynes and University of Minnesota Extension Educator John Bennett surveyed Duluthians about what they hoped might be considered in the potential redesign of a portion of the I-35 freeway. Haynes and Bennett found that improved safety was the greatest priority, with parks/trails coming in at a close second. [insert figure 1]
7. UMD Graduate Trends for In-Demand Jobs in Northeastern Minnesota (March 9, 2022)
Former UGRA Jacque Jones compared data from a UMD Career and Internship Services’ survey of recent UMD graduates with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s Occupations in Demand tool. Jones found that the social work/psychology and accounting program graduates were the most likely to remain in the region, while professional sales, finance, and healthcare management graduates were the least likely.
6. The State of Health Care Jobs in Northeastern Minnesota (January 26, 2022)
In honor of Minnesota’s Health Care Month, former UGRA Jacque Jones looked at the area’s healthcare industry to see how it changed from 2019 to 2022. Jones found that nursing assistants account for about 60% of healthcare support job vacancies and that most Northeastern Minnesota employers expect employment level’s to either increase or remain the same.
5. Measuring Inflation with the Cheeseburger Price Index (May 11, 2022)
Director Monica Haynes and former UGRA Jacque Jones calculated the local inflation rate using the average price of a cheeseburger and French fries in Duluth after being inspired by a similar analysis done about Twin Cities’ pizzeria prices in MinnPost. Haynes and Jones found that Duluth cheeseburger and fries prices have increased by 24% since 2018.
4. The Great Resignation: National, State, and Local Insights (April 13, 2022)
With a recent increase in employee resignations due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the BBER wanted to learn more about the phenomenon referred to as “the great resignation.” Director Monica Haynes and former UGRA Nana Kofi Austin found that from 2017 to 2021 there was a notable increase in the total rate of quits for the U.S. and Minnesota. Three local employees were interviewed about their reasons for changing jobs.
3. Minnesota Not Reaping Full Economic Benefits of New Edibles Law (August 17, 2022)
Following the legalization of recreational THC edible use in Minnesota, current UGRA Erin Hopkins looked at the 19 other states that had legalized recreational cannabis consumption. Hopkins found that Minnesota was missing out on anywhere between a minimum of $5.0 million but closer to $46.0 million in tax revenue.
2. Duluth as a Climate Refuge City and Potential Impacts (May 26, 2022)
After Dr. Jesse Keenan described Duluth and “The most climate-proof city in America” in 2019, the BBER researched the effects an infusion of climate migrants would have on the city. Working with Dr. Kim Nichols Dauner, the BBER conducted interviews with key stakeholders and identified seven main themes, including socioeconomic equity and adaptability.
1. Welcome Interim Chancellor (and former BBER researcher) McMillan! (August 11, 2022)
In honor of Interim Chancellor David McMillan’s first week, the BBER revisited a blog post from January 2021 that highlights the influence the BBER had on his career. Chancellor McMillan started at UMD in 1979 as an economics and history student and, in his senior year, took a role as a student researcher for the BBER.