ABOUT POLICYHUB
Since its founding in 1909, the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia has been an independent organization that believes high-quality, nonpartisan, and objective intelligence about the region’s most important challenges and opportunities is a crucial driver of equitable prosperity in Greater Philadelphia. The PolicyHub initiative generates insights that align with the organization’s role as a regional “think and do” tank that focuses on inclusive growth, equitable opportunities, and shared prosperity.
PolicyHub is building three main components:
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A web-based public-access data repository that aggregates regional economic data in user-friendly and intuitive ways.
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A regular policy newsletter, Leading Indicators, that publishes original insights derived from the data repository.
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A real-time policy analysis service providing city officials, civic leaders, and the public with nonpartisan research.
Our Principles
PolicyHub is guided by the same principles that have guided the Economy League since 1909: objectivity, transparency, and independence:
Objectivity
PolicyHub produces research insights using only accepted research methodologies driven by unbiased research questions, built on data from reputable sources (e.g. government offices, the U.S. Census Bureau, national research organizations, etc.), comparative cases, or outlined best practices from previous research.
Transparency
As a public charity supported by a cross-sector Board of Directors, the Economy League works solely in the public interest for the shared prosperity of the Philadelphia metropolitan region. PolicyHub makes all data, analyses, and results publicly available.
Impartiality
Like the Economy League more broadly, PolicyHub does not engage in advocacy; its analyses follow the facts and represent the views of the Economy League alone. There is a firewall between the interests of members of the Board and the research agenda of the organization. PolicyHub research aims to ascertain the costs and benefits of legislative or administrative proposals, with the sole object of advancing the shared prosperity of the Greater Philadelphia region.
Our Leadership
The PolicyHub initiative is guided by an expert Advisory Committee composed of a cross-sector of leaders who provide insight and guidance on ongoing projects. This committee is chaired by Lara Rhame, Chief US Economist for FS Investments.
LEADING INDICATORS STORIES
Leading Indicators is PolicyHub's regular newsletter of curated data and policy stories - headlined with our own original Leading Indicator data brief. These data briefs provide context on local topics of interest.
Regional Direction
Stop-And-Frisk in Philadelphia's Changing Neighborhoods
This Leading Indicator is derived from a capstone paper written by Christion Smith, an intern at the Economy League and a candidate for a Master’s Degree in Geographic Information Systems at Temple University. Philadelphia has not been immune to gentrification, which is defined as an influx... Read More
Regional Direction
Philadelphia’s Looming Housing Affordability Crisis – Part 4
In the final piece of our housing affordability series of 2021, we detail home values and rent burden within and across Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. Key Takeaways Areas in proximity to the city’s colleges, universities, specialized schools, and hospitals fared worst on housing... Read More
Regional Direction
Philadelphia’s Looming Housing Affordability Crisis – Part 3
In our last Leading Indicator, we compared Philadelphia’s housing affordability with other similarly sized U.S. cities and the nation. For this issue, we take a closer look at how Philadelphia’s housing affordability differs among different racial and ethnic residential populations. Key... Read More
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