National University System Institute for Policy Research

Research

Value and Contribution of San Diego's Visitor Industry: October 17, 2007 - How big is San Diego's visitor industry? How fast is it growing? Why do people come to San Diego to vacation? What challenges loom on the horizon? In the first of a series of reports on San Diego's key economic drivers, SDI's Senior Fellow and Economist Kelly Cunningham provides an overview of San Diego's visitor industry and some of the key issues it faces in the future. Included are sections on the industry's workforce, the the importance of the Convention Center, the rise of Indian gaming, and Baja California's importance to the industry. Continue reading »

Streamlining San Diego: Achieving Taxpayer Savings and Government Reforms Through Managed Competition: September 12, 2007 - We hope this report sparks renewed interest and pushes civil leaders to be creative in their approach. This report shows how an aggressive effort to conduct managed competitions throughout the City of San Diego could save taxpayers at least $80 million. The authors identify eleven different functions that would be prime candidates for managed competition, provides 31 case studies about how other cities are using competition in these areas, and lays out key lessons learned about how to stage successful managed competitions. Not only do they highlight functions often discussed as prime candidates for managed competition in the City of San Diego, such as the print shop or fleet maintenance, but also discuss areas not often usually considered, such as the library department or wastewater treatment. Continue reading »

Proposed 9-1-1 Phone Fee Is A Problematic Policy Solution That Would Harm San Diego Phone Users: June 14, 2007 - San Diego city officials should take caution with advancing efforts for a new telephone surcharge to pay for 9-1-1 emergency communications services, according to Vince Vasquez, Senior Policy Analyst with the San Diego Institute for Policy Research (SDI). Continue reading »

First Comprehensive Measure of San Diego's 21st Century Economic Strength: March 21, 2007 - The San Diego Institute for Policy Research (SDI), in partnership with CONNECT, developed a Technology Start-Up Index to measure the number of new technology-based companies in the San Diego region. The aim of the CONNECT Index of New Technology Business ("CONNECT-dex") is to provide a comprehensive measure for the number of new businesses created in the high- technology and life science sectors in San Diego County. Continue reading »