Founded on
July 1, 1945, the then Bureau of Business Research (BBR) was established in
response to two major concerns of the day: 1) New Mexico’s economy was lagging
poorly, with the highest unemployment rate of any state in 1940, and 2) the
University of New Mexico wanted to define for itself a significant role in
providing community services and leadership.
Thus, BBER was created at UNM as a way to focus university resources in
an effort to foster the economic development of New Mexico.
The economic well-being of New Mexico’s residents,
businesses, governments and non-profit organizations has been the primary
motivating force for the institution throughout its history. From the beginning to the present, the
Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) has focused on helping New
Mexicans better understand the state’s economy and the demographic
characteristics of our population. This
mission is undertaken for the very practical reasons that such understanding
will help individuals in all facets of our economy make sound decisions and
improved policy formulation. To this
end, BBER collects and disseminates socioeconomic information, develops
measures and forecasts of economic performance and population growth, and
conducts in-depth socioeconomic research.
These are the means by which BBER has pursued its quest for
understanding—a quest that is at the core of the institution.
Today, the BBER maintains a major depository of
socioeconomic data that is open to the public—the Data Bank; a “content-heavy”
Internet site filled with data tables—www.unm.edu/~bber; a monthly publication
of economic indicators and topical articles—New Mexico Business;
a contract research program that studies a wide variety of economic and
demographic issues; and an economic forecasting service (FOR-UNM) that provides
short-term projections of numerous economic variables for the state as a whole
and each of the three metropolitan areas (Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Santa
Fe). In addition, BBER maintains close
ties to the U.S. Census Bureau, along with the national community of
demographers and information-providers.
These programs include the Federal State Cooperative Program for
Population Estimates (FSCPE), the Federal-State Cooperative Program for
Population Projections (FSCPP) and the State Data Center/Business and Industry
Data Center (SDC/BIDC) Program.
Finally, since the early 1990s BBER has provided research and data
through two Special Programs funded by the New Mexico State Legislature—the
Census Dissemination and Demographic Analysis Program and the Resource
Geographic Information System (RGIS) Program.
The former allows BBER to add significant value to basic Census Bureau
data, while the latter promotes and utilizes GIS technologies for data
dissemination and research.
BBER’s MISSION, VISION, AND GOALS
·
Contribute to the understanding of economic and demographic
issues in New Mexico
·
Collect and disseminate information, provide technical
expertise and analyze and conduct applied research for a diverse constituency
including community organizations, businesses, labor unions, government
officials, academia, students and others.
·
Through these efforts BBER will further the public service
and educational missions of the University of New Mexico and contribute to the
economic well-being of New Mexico residents.
BBER maintains the highest standards for quality,
objective data collection, information dissemination, and research. These high standards build an unimpeachable
reputation, making BBER New Mexico’s leading authority on economic conditions,
and the official source of demographic information and research.
·
Provide access, awareness and understanding regarding
demographic, economic and social data.
·
Foster and sustain a rigorous and broad-based economic and
demographic research program for the benefit of New Mexicans.
·
Initiate communication, cultivate and maintain collaborative
relationships with a broad-based spectrum of agencies and constituencies.
·
Put BBER’s finances on a sound foundation.
·
Establish a continuing program for the professional
development of BBER staff.
BBER has certain characteristics and core competencies that
make it a unique and valuable institution.
The following must be accomplished to ensure that BBER
continues to be successful:
Goal
1—Provide access, awareness and understanding, regarding demographic, economic
and social data.
Objective
1.1—Foster BBER’s status as the premier repository for New
Mexico socioeconomic and demographic information.
Strategy
1.1.1—Maintain, update and expand the collection of New Mexico socioeconomic
and demographic information held in BBER’s Data Bank.
Strategy
1.1.2—Establish and maintain a system to organize and retrieve BBER unpublished
research materials, including working papers and other background documents.
Strategy
1.1.3—Create a searchable, electronic database of BBER holdings, providing a
comprehensive list of sources (i.e., bibliographic records) for researchers and
other data users.
Strategy
1.1.4—Provide for the preservation and archiving of socioeconomic and
demographic information, addressing issues such as document deterioration and
the long-term retrieval of electronic products.
Strategy
1.1.5—Ensure continued prompt response to individual information requests from
all parts of the data-user community (business, government, news media,
non-profit organizations, and university researchers).
Strategy
1.1.6—Maintain, update and expand BBER’s Internet site—a “content-heavy” site
that contains socioeconomic data for New Mexico and geographic subdivisions of
the state (e.g., counties and cities).
The site also provides definitions, methodology statements, technical
guides for using Census Bureau products, and hyperlinks to appropriate state,
local, federal and private sites.
Strategy
1.1.7—Compile, publish and distribute New Mexico Business (NMB),
a printed, monthly newsletter, containing feature articles, numerous statewide
economic indicators, and socioeconomic measures for selected counties and
cities.
Strategy
1.1.8—Compile and disseminate socioeconomic data tables and narratives in
fulfillment of Special Program obligations.
The Special Programs are initiatives that are funded by general fund
Legislative appropriation and include the Census Dissemination and Demographic
Analysis Program, and the Resource Geographic Information Systems Program.
Strategy
1.1.9—Sustain contractual obligations with entities outside UNM for purposes of
mass data distribution. These contracts
may require the provision of data tables and related narratives to entities
such as local newspapers and economic development organizations. These entities most often publish the data,
themselves.
Strategy
1.1.10—Increase public awareness of BBER data collections and data products by
advertising via mass mailings, conferences, and other means.
Objective
1.2—Maintain and enhance BBER’s status as a comprehensive
resource for assistance in understanding and using socioeconomic and
demographic information.
Strategy
1.2.1—Provide one-on-one consultations with data users, supplying definitions
of concepts, documentation on statistical methodology, and advice as to how to
use the data.
Strategy
1.2.2—Interpret the meaning of economic and demographic trends for individuals,
groups of data users, and the news media and convey this through interviews,
presentations or publications.
Strategy
1.2.3—Sponsor, organize and conduct data-user conferences and training
workshops regarding the acquisition, meaning and use of socioeconomic and
demographic data.
Strategy
1.2.4—Make presentations to special interest groups, business associations,
government agencies, civic groups, non-profit organizations and UNM classes,
among others, regarding the acquisition, meaning and use of socioeconomic and
demographic data.
Strategy
1.2.5—Maintain and enhance the expertise of BBER’s information specialists by
encouraging enrollment in appropriate university classes, membership in
professional associations (e.g., the New Mexico Library Association),
attendance at professional workshops and conferences, and participation in
programs affiliated with the Census Bureau, such as the State Data
Center/Business and Industry Data Center (SDC/BIDC) Program.
Strategy
1.2.6—Increase public awareness of BBER technical assistance services,
conferences and workshops by advertising via mass mailings, conferences, and
other means.
Objective 1.3—To the extent possible ensure
that the results of BBER research efforts become a readily accessible source of
socioeconomic information for New Mexico.
Strategy 1.3.1—Print the
results of BBER research efforts as individual reports.
Strategy 1.3.2—Print articles
derived from these research efforts in NMB.
Strategy 1.3.3—Post research
results on BBER’s Internet site.
Strategy 1.3.4—Present the
findings of BBER research efforts to conferences, workshops and UNM classes.
Strategy 1.3.5—Advertise
the availability of BBER research reports and articles.
Goal 2—Foster and sustain a rigorous and broad-based
economic and demographic research program for the benefit of New Mexicans.
Objective 2.1—Sustain the core research program
Strategy
2.1.1—Maintain the basic FOR-UNM Forecasting Service, projecting the present
mix of economic indicators for the state as a whole and New Mexico’s three
metropolitan areas
Strategy
2.1.2—Continue the basic population estimates and projections program,
supplying currently defined input databases to the Census Bureau, reviewing
Census Bureau city and county population estimates, and projecting county
population by age and gender.
Strategy
2.1.3—Continue existing contract research services. Respond to requests from both
government and private sectors. Research topics could include any of the
following examples: analyses of state or selected sub-state economies; specific
industry or labor market studies; financial and capital markets; public finance
issues; economic and fiscal impacts of particular industries; and analyses of
particular economic conditions, such as New Mexico’s high and persistent
poverty.
Objective
2.2—Improve the quality of intercensal population and
demographic estimates for New Mexico.
Strategy 2.2.1—Develop new
approaches to population estimates and projections of New Mexico’s
population. Explore and evaluate the
possibility of incorporating new explanatory variables.
Strategy
2.2.2—Build accurate and reliable databases that can be used as new inputs to
BBER’s population estimates and projections, and the next decennial
census. These databases will include
but not be limited to driver licenses, state income tax data, utilities,
building permits and manufactured home inspections, vital statistics, and
employment (ES202) data.
Strategy
2.2.3—Develop as much as possible a uniform and consistent set of age, sex,
race and Hispanic ethnicity estimates.
Strategy
2.2.4—Influence changes in official U.S. Census Bureau methodology for
intercensal population estimates.
Strategy
2.2.5—Increase the geographic coverage of population estimates to include New
Mexico cities.
Strategy
2.2.6—Create a statewide population taskforce to help improve the population
estimates.
Strategy
2.2.7—Continue and expand collaborative efforts with the U.S. Census Bureau
through the FSCPE Program.
Objective
2.3—Expand and enhance BBER’s population projection activities.
Strategy 2.3.1—Increase the
number of demographic variables to include race and Hispanic ethnicity.
Strategy 2.3.2—Increase the
geographic coverage of population projections to include New Mexico cities.
Strategy
2.3.3—Continue and expand collaborative efforts with the U.S. Census Bureau
through the FSCPP Program.
Objective
2.4—Expand and enhance BBER’s FOR-UNM economic forecasting
service.
Strategy 2.4.1—Generate and
test additional indicators of economic performance.
Strategy 2.4.2—Attempt to
develop an index of leading indicators for New Mexico.
Strategy 2.4.3—Expand the
geographic coverage of the FOR-UNM model to include non-metropolitan
counties. Develop the capacity to do
sub-state regional analysis.
Strategy 2.4.4—Cultivate
new constituencies for forecast services including the banking community,
Tribal governments, and city and county governments.
Strategy 2.4.5—If funding
allows, work with UNM econometricians to enhance the FOR-UNM model.
Strategy 2.4.6—Develop new
products to serve additional clientele.
Objective 2.5—As opportunities arise, and
funding is available enhance and expand the BBER’s research program, including
economic and fiscal impacts along with studies that examine welfare and welfare
reform, environmental equity, rural-urban disparity, health, poverty, and
education.
Strategy 2.5.1—Obtain the
capability to perform input-output analysis using the IMPLAN Model and explore
potential applications.
Strategy 2.5.2—Create a
broad-based, unique database composed of state and federal tax data from the
New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department linked to ES202 data from the New Mexico
Department of Labor and welfare data from the New Mexico Human Services
Department.
Strategy
2.5.3— Develop a stronger survey and qualitative research capability.
Identify potential clients that employ survey and qualitative research. Seek funding for research involving surveys
and qualitative research. Consult with
state, local, and private agencies on survey design and analysis.
Strategy 2.5.4—As opportunities arise expand BBER’s research activities
to include poverty issues as they relate to race/ethnicity, foreign and
domestic migration, gender, geographic location, governmental policies, and
labor market dynamics.
Strategy 2.5.5—The BBER is interested in moving into the following
areas as opportunities arise and funding is available:
a.
Economic development issues as they
impact demographic trends and population distribution.
b.
Environmental equity issues as they
affect economic development and health In New Mexico.
c.
Rural-urban disparity issues in New
Mexico.
d.
Issues relating to the digital, technological
and informational disparity in New Mexico.
Goal 3—Initiate communication, cultivate and maintain
collaborative relationships with a broad-based spectrum of agencies and
constituencies.
Objective
3.1—Maintain and improve existing relationships with public and
private entities currently served by BBER.
Strategy 3.1.1—Improve
communication with current and past clients and patrons by developing a method
to solicit feedback concerning BBER products and services. Possibilities include surveys, interviews
and roundtable discussions.
Strategy
3.1.2—Develop a panel of business leaders that BBER can access for insights
into the local economy.
Strategy
3.1.3—Increase FOR-UNM outreach efforts to the banking and business
community. Solicit feedback to better
understand needs for economic information and forecasting services. Tailor products to meet needs.
Strategy
3.1.4—Be available to speak on the economy, population trends, etc. to
different groups.
Strategy
3.1.5—To increase our statewide exposure, expand outreach to regional councils
of governments, the Municipal League, the Association of Counties.
Objective
3.2—Develop a method for assessing the information needs of
potential public, private and community-based clients, with particular adherence
to the University’s mission to identify and reach out to underserved
communities.
Strategy
3.2.1—Identify and compile a list of potential clients and organizations as
well as professional forums to increase exposure to and circulation of BBER’s
products and services.
Strategy
3.2.2—Develop a system of methods to introduce BBER to identified potential
clients. This could include mailing out
information, telephone contacts, BBER-sponsored open-houses and attending
forums sponsored by potential client organizations.
Strategy
3.2.3—Develop a method to solicit critical feedback from a diverse group of
community members and professionals concerning the content and analysis of BBER
products.
Objective
3.3—Encourage closer ties with faculty, staff and students in
other units at UNM and other educational institutions in the state.
Strategy
3.3.1—Initiate outreach and explore possible collaboration with key
departments: the Anderson School, Public Administration, Community and Regional
Planning, the Health Sciences, Economics, Sociology and Political Science. Increase contact with other peer research
institutes.
Strategy
3.3.2—Continue to provide guest lectures in UNM classes. Inform students and faculty of BBER Data
Bank and other resources.
Strategy
3.3.3—Continue to hire UNM students for research and other positions.
Strategy
3.3.4—Seek on-campus exposure through news media and other sources.
Strategy
3.3.5—Continue to prioritize requests for data and technical assistance from
other units within UNM.
Strategy
3.3.6—Encourage closer ties with similar researchers and faculty at other
higher educational institutions in New Mexico.
Objective
3.4—Initiate deliberate steps to form a BBER advisory board.
Strategy
3.4.1—Research the existence and structure of advisory boards for similar
organizations.
Strategy
3.4.2—Conduct further internal BBER discussions concerning the role and
composition of a BBER advisory board.
Strategy
3.4.3—Identify and interview potential advisory board members to assess their
views on the desirability and role of a BBER advisory board.
Goal 4—Put
BBER’s finances on a sound foundation.
Objective
4.1—Reduce and keep administrative overhead to a minimum.
Strategy
4.1.1—Consolidate administrative functions within IARS. Administrative staff for the organization
should consist of an accountant, an administrative assistant, and at most two
students.
Strategy
4.1.2—With respect to the daily processing and accounting for revenue and
expenditures, establish an open process which ensures timeliness, accuracy, and
electronic availability of status. Implement cash handling, accounts
receivable, and invoicing in electronic form.
Strategy
4.1.3—Streamline processes to reduce duplication of effort, without sacrificing
accuracy, security and completeness of record-keeping and ease of information
retrieval. Avoid keying/recording same
information more than once.
Strategy
4.1.4—Computer systems, which are BBER’s lifeblood, will be installed and the
hardware maintained by DGR.
Strategy
4.1.5—Where possible to track and appropriate, charges should be made to
project accounts. This includes
materials and supplies, travel, telephone calls, and copying but also
administrative staff time involved with accounting, document production, attending
to computers.
Strategy
4.1.6—Structure things internally to be compatible with and to promote
efficiencies in operating within the broad range of UNM processes and
procedures.
Objective
4.2—BBER will seek ways to reduce non-personnel operating expenditures
without sacrificing other objectives.
Strategy
4.2.1—Examine different categories of expenditure to see if areas can target
for reduction.
Strategy
4.2.2—Foster staff awareness of what things cost and of the need to balance
benefits with costs.
Strategy
4.2.3—Reduce printing/copying costs.
Objective
4.3—Preserve and expand on-going funding for key areas, e.g.,
FOR-UNM,
population
estimates and projections.
Strategy
4.3.1—Work hard to keep core funding for FOR-UNM program, including state contract
and subscriptions. Work to expand
subscriptions to FOR-UNM Bulletin and to develop new products for new
constituencies.
Strategy
4.3.2—Work to keep continued flow of funds for Census Project and seize
opportunities to increase funding from this source.
Strategy
4.3.3—Work with group of state agencies and others in need of population
estimates, projections and demographic information to develop continual and
predictable source of funding for these activities.
Objective 4.4—Seek on-going sources of funding for permanent staff
to reduce reliance
on small
contracts and payment from scarce overhead dollars.
Strategy
4.4.1—Continue and expand, if possible, BBER’s participation in the RGIS
project.
Strategy
4.4.2—Seek projects, like those from the State Highway and Transportation
Department,
where work can be scheduled around other time commitments.
Objective
4.5—Make contracts work for BBER.
Strategy
4.5.1—Respond positively to contract work which meets the following criteria:
a. Complements
FOR-UNM, our populations estimates/projections program, and our information
services programs by furthering an understanding of the state’s economy,
population and demography, including: (1) the state’s economic relations and
other ties to larger regions and the rest of the world; (2) the economies of
particular regions of the state; (3) particular industries, sectors and
subsectors, e.g., health services, call centers; (4) labor markets; (5)
financial markets and access to capital; (6) the informal economy. BBER is particularly interested in pursuing
contract research that will generate new data and information on the economy
and population and/or a deeper understanding of relationships. We also recognize the importance of
developing new contacts who could be the source of future information on the
economy and population.
b. Is
requested by state agencies, the legislature, local governments, or the
university, provided that we have the expertise, can meet required deadlines
and produce a professional, credible and defensible product, and that the
funding provided will cover expected costs.
c. Requires
our unique expertise and familiarity with the issues. BBER, by virtue of our expertise, will produce estimates/develop
an analyses that provide a sound basis
for decision-making and policy development.
Areas where the above holds include the following:
population estimates and projections
economic estimates and projections (particularly employment and income)
economic and fiscal impact analyses
projects requiring knowledge of state and local government
finances in New Mexico
d. Is a
research priority interest and is listed under objective 2.4 above.
e. Provides
an opportunity for BBER staff to work with communities/regional planning
agencies, to evaluate economic development options.
f.
Presents an opportunity for BBER to collaborate with DGR.
g. Presents
an opportunity for collaboration with other economists/social
scientists/planners at this or other universities or will strengthen ties to
our counterparts working in government agencies.
h.
Is of keen interest to particular staff and/or presents an opportunity
for growth in direction(s) deemed to be desirable, provided that the staff in
question have the expertise and capacity to handle the work and the time to
take on the work without sacrificing other commitments.
i.
Presents an opportunity to work with an identifiable
underserved community.
Strategy
4.5.2—BBER will consider carefully before taking contract work which:
a. Could
jeopardize our reputation and our credibility as the issue is emotionally
charged and BBER’s involvement is unlikely to resolve what are essentially
intractable differences.
b. Could
place such intense demands on the total organization as to jeopardize our
ability to do the on-going work of BBER.
c. Involves
substantial commitment of resources for which we have no hope of recovering
costs, unless we decide as an organization that this is an investment we are
willing to make.
d. In which
the client or project is of economic benefit to a very narrow constituency (e.g.,
an individual, specific small business), and there is consequently little
public interest in the project.
Strategy
4.5.3—Improve budget estimates of project costs by using information on actual
costs and by applying the rule that if something can go wrong it will.
Strategy
4.5.4—Improve project management by providing PI’s with timely information on
actual and projected expenditures for task completion.
Goal 5—Establish a
continuing program for the professional development for BBER staff.
Objective 5.1—Develop a method for staff members to develop skills though internal communication with other staff members.
Strategy
5.1.1—Encourage staff members to conduct informal in-house trainings in their
areas of expertise.
Strategy
5.1.2—Conduct in-house seminars on selected research findings.
Strategy
5.1.3—Use brainstorming sessions to enhance research and to share staff
experience, knowledge and expertise.
Objective 5.2—Provide support for staff members to develop skills through sources outside of BBER.
Strategy
5.2.1—Invite speakers from UNM, or other governmental or private agencies
(local, national, or international), on topics that are useful or of interest
to BBER staff.
Strategy
5.2.2—Encourage staff to enhance their technical skills and expand their
knowledge by taking relevant UNM courses.
Strategy
5.2.3—Encourage and provide support for staff to attend training workshops,
sessions, conferences to acquire knowledge of and skills in cutting edge
research technology and methodology.
Strategy
5.2.4—Encourage and provide support to staff to publish results in professional
journals and present papers at conferences.
Data Bank Collection—The
collection includes both print and electronic materials and covers topics such
as, personal income, gross product, employment by industry, business sales,
tourism, construction permits, mineral production, school enrollment and
finance, vital statistics, incidence of crime, population totals, socioeconomic
characteristics of the population, and published BBER research. In general, socioeconomic and demographic
data for New Mexico and its geographic subdivisions are the focus of the
collection, but related information for the western U.S. and the nation as a
whole are included as appropriate.
Data Bank Information and
Technical Assistance Requests—These requests come to the Data
Bank from individuals via telephone, personal visit, FAX, e-mail or
letter. Responses include providing
pre-existing, electronic or printed data tables; creating data tables from
original research or other published sources; providing definitions or
documentation on statistical methods; providing technical assistance in how to
use or apply the data; providing citations of sources; and making referrals to
appropriate organizations.
The Federal-State Cooperative Program for Population
Estimates (FSCPE) and the Federal-State Cooperative Program for Population
Projections (FSCPP)—These programs are networks of state demographers
that are affiliated with the U.S. Census Bureau through its Population
Division. These networks facilitate
exchange of information and technology in the field of population estimation
and projections. BBER serves as a
liaison between the U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division and local and state
agencies. The relationship between BBER
and the U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Branch is formalized in a
Memorandum of Agreement that is renewed yearly. Full participation in the programs requires regular reporting of
local data on births, deaths, school enrollment, and selected group quarters;
quality checking of administrative records, population estimates, and
population projections; participation in the Spring and Fall meetings of the
FSCPE (Spring meeting only for FSCPP); and participation in other public forums
as necessary. (The Fall meeting of the
FSCPE is a business and technical meeting where new information and estimation
techniques are shared among the various states and the Census Bureau.
The State Data Center/Business and Industry Data Center
(SDC/BIDC) Program—This program is a nationwide network of research and
information dissemination organizations that are affiliated with the U.S.
Census Bureau, Customer Liaison Office (CLO) through a formal, renewable Memorandum
of Understanding. SDC/BIDC programs are
established within each state and maintain close working relationships with
Census Bureau regional offices, along with CLO. (The Denver Regional Office covers New Mexico.) The New Mexico SDC/BIDC Program includes
university research departments, state government agencies, local and regional
planning departments, public libraries, university and junior college
libraries, small business development centers and economic development
organizations. In all, there are 26
separate organizations in the New Mexico SDC/BIDC Program. BBER is a coordinating agency in the
Program. Full participation includes
adherence to established core competencies that require the network to
disseminate Census Bureau data; provide research, analysis, technical
assistance and consultation; customized programming and product development;
education and promotion of censuses; training; an Internet presence; and
participation in national or regional meetings. Although the Census Bureau does not provide funding to the state
programs it does provide an array of electronic and printed data and geographic
products, along with training and support for the data centers. Participation requires regular contact with
Census Bureau staff, ensuring an exchange of knowledge regarding database
developments and an understanding of underlying data concepts and methods.