People
Providing opportunities so that all people can realize their full potential is first and foremost a moral imperative.
It’s also an economic one. The collective knowledge, skills, and experience of a population are the key determinants of regional competitiveness and innovation. Growing, attracting, and retaining talent requires well-designed education, workforce, and human service systems. ECOnorthwest offers analytic tools to evaluate the performance of current programming and measure the expected returns of proposed investments.
Explore Focus Areas
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- Access to Programs and Services
- Building Equitable Communities
- Education
- Environmental Justice
- Equitable Wealth Generation
- Social Safety Nets
- Tax Policy, Fees, and Funding
- Workforce Development
Select an option to view.
Access to Programs and Services
Families and individuals, especially BIPOC and those from other marginalized groups, often face barriers to accessing programs and services they need. Roadblocks to child care, education, job training, health care, park use, high-speed internet, and more can create or exacerbate inequities.
ECOnorthwest’s interdisciplinary approach brings economics, sociology, and policy analysis together to evaluate how your existing or proposed service levels compare to the needs of the community. With your goals in mind, our team of experts develops program and service availability recommendations that create inclusive systems and move your community closer to shared prosperity.
Selected Projects
Common Tools and Methods
Program and Policy Evaluation
Survey Design, Data Collection, and Analysis
Interviews and Focus Groups
Spatial Analytics
Building Equitable Communities
Community members hold key insights into how to address social and economic challenges in their neighborhoods. ECOnorthwest’s interdisciplinary team uses a wide range of qualitative and quantitative tools to amplify community voices. We aim to understand how communities, whether geographically separated or characterized by differences in race, ethnicity, or other factors, are impacted by social and economic forces.
Our actionable insights will help you bridge gaps and amplify marginalized voices, promoting cohesion and prosperity in your community.
Selected Projects
Common Tools and Methods
Demographic Analysis
Survey Design, Data Collection, and Analysis
Interviews and Focus Groups
Econometrics
Education
Technological advancements create new opportunities, ethical questions, and challenges for humans. Education systems, from PreK through postsecondary education, must evolve so that students can successfully navigate an era of rapid change.
ECOnorthwest’s cross-disciplinary experts have mapped educational successes and challenges at the state, college, school district, school, and student levels. Our insights help institutions and policymakers develop strategies to change and grow.
We'll work with you to identify high performers and institutional barriers, and to rigorously evaluate new interventions. You'll get the insights you need to engage students early, cultivate social skills, and promote lifelong learning.
Selected Projects
Common Tools and Methods
Econometrics
Data Visualization and Web Tools
Case Studies, Best Practices Research, and Literature Reviews
Environmental Justice
Communities committed to environmental justice need solutions that mix quality data and analysis with a nuanced local perspective. ECOnorthwest helps communities address disparities in environmental impacts and ensure fair access to resources and benefits. We put equity at the center of all our economic analyses, and look for the full picture of policy impacts, intended and unintended.
Our interdisciplinary team works with historically marginalized populations to understand how community members value specific benefits or experience specific costs (including non-financial) and how values differ across groups. We’ll give you the guidance you need to implement programs that champion equitable solutions and create a healthier, more sustainable future for all.
Selected Projects
Common Tools and Methods
Demographic Analysis
Equitable Impact Analysis
Case Studies, Best Practices Research, and Literature Reviews
Equitable Wealth Generation
Communities seeking more resilient, dynamic, and equitable economies need to understand barriers and opportunities for wealth building, particularly within marginalized communities. Equity-driven wealth creation can help communities overcome historical inequities and set a course towards broad-based prosperity for decades to come.
ECOnorthwest’s interdisciplinary experts draw on economics and sociology to inform policy insights. We craft strategies that empower marginalized communities to build generational wealth that creates long-term prosperity and reduces disparities.
Selected Projects
Common Tools and Methods
Demographic Analysis
Case Studies, Best Practices Research, and Literature Reviews
Program and Policy Evaluation
Equitable Impact Analysis
Social Safety Nets
Low-income children, workers, and families need systems and services that provide for equitable, shared prosperity. ECOnorthwest provides innovative insights to support economic opportunity through improved safety net programs.
Our interdisciplinary team helps state and local policymakers, practitioners, and business and community leaders take on these complex issues. We'll give you the guidance you need to shape policy, create tools to help people find work, and provide the support your community members need to succeed.
Selected Projects
Common Tools and Methods
Case Studies, Best Practices Research, and Literature Reviews
Econometrics
Demographic Analysis
Data Visualization and Web Tools
Tax Policy, Fees, and Funding
ECOnorthwest provides reliable analysis and expert opinions on how tax and fee changes translate into new or different resources and shape the economic outlook.
Our cross-disciplinary approach will provide you with a perspective that focuses on more than just the financial. We'll help you understand how proposed changes could influence growth, prosperity, and equity in your region.
Selected Projects
Common Tools and Methods
Fiscal Analysis and Revenue Forecasting
Case Studies, Best Practices Research, and Literature Reviews
Workforce Development
Everyone needs opportunities to develop skills and prepare for employment. Ensuring these opportunities requires aligning training opportunities with needs of future workers and requirements of employers. ECOnorthwest analyzes current workforce conditions, explores future prospects for current and potential workers, and investigates potential workforce solutions in both traditional and non-traditional industries.
Our interdisciplinary team analyzes the skills people need in today’s workforce generally and in specific occupations and industries. We pair this understanding with associated education and training pathways. You’ll get the guidance you need to support talent development of the current and future workforce so that everyone has the opportunity to contribute to a strong and growing economy.
