Data-driven analysis focusing on Arizona

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Welcome to the Office of the University Economist

The Office of the University Economist has two primary functions:

To respond to strategic and tactical needs of the Office of the President and the university as a whole related to the role of ASU in economic development, and

To administer the Productivity and Prosperity Project: An Analysis of Economic Competitiveness.

Incorporating literature reviews, existing empirical evidence, and economic and econometric analyses, the Productivity and Prosperity Project produces reports available to the public from this website. Much of the other work of the Office also results in publicly available reports, grouped into three categories: public finance, Arizona demographics, and Arizona universities. The Office of the University Economist, and the Productivity and Prosperity Project, were created by Arizona State University President Michael M. Crow in 2005.

Report categories

These reports address such topics as education and other human capital, competitiveness and economic development, knowledge economy, and economic performance.

Productivity is the efficiency with which goods and services are produced by a given set of inputs. Prosperity is economic well-being, or more broadly, overall well-being. For an individual, a business, a region, and a country, enhancing productivity leads to improved competitiveness, which in turn results in increased prosperity. In the 21st century, education and other human capital is of increasing importance, though other economic foundations, particularly the physical infrastructure, remain key inputs to economic development. Research and development, innovation, technology, and science also are key components.

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Taxes and public sector expenditures are economic development factors that contribute to the competitiveness of a region. Fiscal resources and the health of state government is also of importance to Arizona’s public universities. Analyses of revenues and expenditures of Arizona governments, with comparisons to other states and the nation, are the focus of this category of reports.

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These reports describe the population, with a focus on migration, often but not always with reference to Arizona. An understanding of demographics is important to planning at Arizona State University and to economic development in the state.

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The economic impact of ASU is largely addressed under this category of reports. Insights on Arizona’s public university system are also provided.

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Universities in the Knowledge Economy

This portion of the website provides a summary of recent scholarly research on the importance of universities for the labor market success of individuals, the pace of industrial innovation, and the prosperity of cities and regions. There are five individual chapters, each containing a brief narrative summarizing important conclusions and issues and a substantive annotated bibliography.

Overview