For 130 years, the Dallas Zoo has been providing entertainment and education to the people of Dallas, the surrounding area, and beyond. The Zoo's wide variety of specimens, acclaimed exhibits, and research facilities make it a popular destination both for local residents and visitors from outside the area.
The Perryman Group's Bordernomics study analyzes the economy of the US-Mexico border region in order to improve understanding of regional dynamics and identify actions which could generate meaningful improvement. The full study provides background information and a summary of current economic conditions, addresses the importance of NAFTA, describes challenges and opportunities faced in the border region, and estimates the business activity and jobs which could be added with enhanced cooperation among the US-Mexico border states.
The Perryman Group was recently asked to examine the potential economic benefits of statewide competition in the Florida electric power market. Outcomes in other areas which have increased competition (fully adjusted for Florida economic and demographic patterns) were used as a basis for estimating the potential benefits.
Travel and tourism is an important source of economic activity. Every year, millions of visitors to Texas spend billions of dollars in the state. In 2015, the number of person-stays was estimated to exceed 250 million and had been growing steadily for several years. Hundreds of thousands of individuals across Texas are employed in travel-related industries.
More than 16,000 Texas children are presently in foster care. This crucial safety net for thousands of the state's most vulnerable residents has experienced challenges in recent years and is in the process of evolving in an innovative manner to better meet the needs of the affected young people at a critical juncture in their lives. While the primary consideration in any conversation related to transforming the foster care system must always be the well-being of the children and families who are affected, improvements also involve quantifiable economic benefits in the form of reduced social costs and increased earnings and productivity. Analyzing these economic benefits can help inform discussion of future strategic plans, particularly given the reality of tight budgets for social services.
The issues surrounding immigration are complicated (particularly in the case of the undocumented segment), but there is one incontrovertible fact: Texas needs the workers!
Since 2010, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) has served as a crucial aspect of improving cancer outcomes. CPRIT has helped attract leading cancer research scientists to Texas (including members of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences), funded research projects which have resulted in thousands of publications and a number of new patents, and provided grants for screening and related education which are improving access to lifesaving testing for some of the state's most vulnerable populations. The most recent cancer statistics indicate that incidence and outcomes in Texas are improving relative to those in the nation as a whole, due in part to CPRIT efforts.
For more than 40 years, DFW Airport has been providing air passenger and cargo service to the vibrant economies of Dallas, Fort Worth, and the other cities in the North Central Texas Region. In addition to this essential role, the Airport is also an important source of jobs and economic activity for the area and beyond.
"Electronic payments are highly efficient, offering advantages such as speed, reduced costs, and accuracy," said Dr. Ray Perryman, President and CEO of The Perryman Group. "These enhancements have contributed significantly to the expansion of the US economy, increasing liquidity and stimulating personal consumption."
No modern economy can prosper without a strong system of courts to protect public safety, secure property rights, enforce contracts, and resolve disputes. In fact, an effective judiciary lies at the heart of the very foundations of Western civilization. Even so, many states and locales face poorly funded courts, while the Federal courts have been hampered in recent years both by the inability of Congress to fill vacancies in a timely manner and by the failure to expand the number of judgeships as economic and demographic growth demand. There is perhaps no place where this situation is more acute than the Eastern District of Texas.