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PPRC Unitsimpact of public programs in a wide variety ofcultural contexts.APPLIED RESEARCHThe Applied Research Division is a multidisciplinary public policy research unit. TheResearch Division’s mission is to promote andprovide exceptional research on significant publicpolicy issues and to disseminate the findings widely— to students, scholars, policymakers, andcommunity members. The Research Divisionaccomplishes this utilizing a variety ofmethodologies which are aimed at gatheringdemographic, population, economic and behavioraldata.Special Projects The Research Divisionundertakes special projects to meet the particularneeds of regional decision makers. Some of thesespecial initiatives include data collection andanalysis, identification of best practices,preparation of comparative information, and theutilization of a wide variety of methodologies inorder to provide timely public policy research.MAJOR PROJECTS FOR 2001The Research Division provides scientific researchand evaluation services to both public and privatesponsors including various federal, regional, state,and community agencies actively engaged indetermining public policy. The Research Divisionhas the analytical capacity to address a wide rangeof policy research issues.Regional Chamber and GrowthAssociation (RCGA) Transportation Finance AnalysisThe St. Louis Regional Chamber and GrowthAssociation contracted the University of Missouri– St. Louis PPRC to conduct an analysis of therevenue flows between metropolitan St. Louis andthe Missouri State Government. The objective ofthe study was to calculate the amount of revenuesent to the Missouri state government bymetropolitan St. Louis through motor fuel andsales taxes, license fees and other relevant paymentsand the amount the Missouri Department ofTransportation expends to metropolitan St. Louisin transportation capital improvements, programsand services.The Center’s Research Division offers thefollowing services:Survey Research This includes telephone,in-person and mail response surveys. The Divisionalso utilizes focus groups to quantify publicopinion or the perception of targeted groupsregarding the development or delivery of publicprograms. Some of the issues that the ResearchDivision works with include public transportation,development, green spaces, and tax initiatives.Services in this category include questionnairedesign, fieldwork, data analysis and reporting.Jefferson County CommunityPartnerships Outcome AssessmentMeasuresThe research project included a review of therelevant literature for 15 program areas,identification of variables used to measureperformance in those areas, and examined themeasures used by JCCP. The project also preparedan outcome measure design.Evaluation Research The ResearchDivision’s interdisciplinary staff is committed toapplying their capabilities to our region’s mostdifficult issues. For projects that require acomprehensive approach, the team providesservices that include needs assessments; anddesigning quantitative and qualitative researchprojects to measure the output, outcome and8

Civic Progres.Business ClimateStudyorganizations in order to create livablecommunities. This unit is linked to the UrbanNeighborhood/University Partnership initiativesupported by University Outreach and Extension’sOutreach Development Fund. The goals of theinitiatives are to link university resources withurban neighborhood needs and priorities; todevelop mutually respectful research and actionpartnerships; and to strengthen the capacity ofboth the university and the community to buildflourishing urban neighborhoods.The research unit provided Civic Progress with ananalysis that included a current and historicaldescription of the regional economy, identificationof comparable metropolitan areas, and a telephonesurvey of more than 500 regional businessmanagers to determine their perception of thebusiness climate in St. Louis. The findings of thisanalysis were applied in developing an actionstrategy for improving the business climate.PROJECTS FOR 2002The programs and services offered by CNDinclude the following:· Training programs for neighborhoodand community leaders andorganizations.· Technical assistance support forneighborhood and communityimprovement efforts related toplanning, growth management,community beautification, housingredevelopments, home ownership,community health assessment,leadership development, and thedevelopment of coalitions andcollaborations.· Research related to the development ofneighborhood indicators andneighborhood databases.Missouri Association for Philanthropy. St. Louis Philanthhropy AssessmentThis evaluation project will update MAP’sbenchmark report on philanthropy in the St. Louisarea. The Research Unit will examine records ofgiving foundations to document the level of givingand the types of projects that they support. It willalso compare the philanthropic activity in St. Louisto that of similar metro areas.Gateway Greening WhitmireCommunity Garden StudyThis ongoing evaluation project examines theimpact of community gardens on theirsurrounding neighborhoods. The initial researchcreated a composite of garden types. Surveys ofcommunity gardeners and community residentsprovided data on the citizen’s perception of gardenimpact. Data from secondary sources profiledchanges in crime rate, property value and otherindicators of neighborhood stability.MAJOR PROJECTS FOR 2001Community Fellows ProgramThis program was recently implemented by theCenter in order to engage two community leaderseach year in working with the university todevelop a neighborhood project or intervention.The first Community Fellows class was appointedin June 2001, and the Fellows are Sean Thomas ofSLACO and Rebecca Zoll of North County, Inc.COMMUNITY & NEIGHBORHOODDEVELOPMENTThe Community and Neighborhood Developmentunit of PPRC works to develop partnerships withSt. Louis are community and neighborhood9

Teen Pregnancy Prevention PartnershipThe Teen Pregnancy Prevention Partnership(TPPP) is a coalition of forty-four agencies,organizations and individuals in the St. Louis areaworking together to support, promote, advocate,facilitate and coordinate activities which lead to adecrease in the incidence of unplanned pregnanciesand sexually transmitted diseases among youth. Inspring, 2000, TPPP, in partnership with the PublicPolicy Research Center and Barnes College ofNursing, secured commitment of funding from theMissouri Department of Social Services to supporta three-year project. The funding is dedicated tobuilding the capacity within communities to takeaction to reduce the rates of teen pregnancy. Mid County Partners For ProgressThe Community and Neighborhood Development(CND) Unit of PPRC assisted in the developmentand incorporation of MidCounty Partners ForProgress, a nonprofit organization representingtwenty-two municipalities, along with private andnonprofit partners in the Normandy SchoolDistrict area. CND staff assisted in the formationof the organization and provided technicalassistance to efforts related to streetscape planningand the development of healthy communitiesinitiative. CND’s work with Mid CountyPartners For Progress resulted in the Centerreceiving funding support from East-WestGateway Coordinating Council, MissouriDepartment of Economic Development, and theDaughters of Charity Foundation.PROJECTS FOR 2002Old North St. Louis Restoration GroupThe CND unit of PPRC has developed acollaborative working arrangement with the OldNorth St. Louis Restoration Group in an effort topreserve the character, quality, and culture of thisneighborhood and to strengthen communityprograms and further enable residents to be selfsufficient. Part of this project includes apartnership between ONSL residents and UMSLgraduate students in the history department todiscovery the history of the area and to designhistoric preservation projects. This collaborativeeffort resulted in the Center’s receipt of aprestigious, 400,000 HUD grant for the purposeof developing a Community Outreach PartnershipCenter in Old North St. Louis.Neighborhood Leadership AcademyHosted by the University of Missouri - St. Louisand organized by PPRC’s Community andNeighborhood Development unit, the NLAprovides hands-on training to prepare volunteers,community-based organization staff, and activeindividuals for positions of neighborhoodleadership. This training also enhances the skills ofexperienced neighborhood leaders, and provides aFinancialLiteracyclasses,held at Johnny’s Bar and GrillinOldNorthSt.Louis10

solid training basis for students that wish toexplore community development careers. The 2002Neighborhood Leadership Academy meets for ninesessions, from January - May. Participants whosuccessfully complete the program will receive aCertificate in Neighborhood Leadership, signed bythe Chancellor of the University of Missouri - St.Louis. A total of 4.35 CEU’s will be awarded toparticipants.METROPOLITAN INFORMATIONAND DATA SYSTEMS ANALYSIS(MIDAS)The MIDAS unit of the PPRC is dedicated to themission of the PPRC with the expressed ambitionof becoming a regional resource for informationand data on the St. Louis metropolitan area and forapplied public policy research services. TheMIDAS section is also dedicated to assisting facultyand students with quantitative data needs andproviding expertise on quantitative methodologies.The MIDAS section is also actively seeking toestablish partnerships with regional planningorganizations such as East West Gateway, theRegional Chamber and Growth Association, localgovernments and community developmentorganizations. Services provided by MIDASinclude:· Develops lists of data sources, assistswith access issues, and providesexpertise on quantitativemethodologies. This service isprovided in collaboration with arepresentative group of UM-St. Louisresearchers and the CampusComputing Center and Library.· Works with local governmentalorganizations, non-governmental·agencies, and the private sector on issuerelating to the acquisition, managementand analysis of quantitative data.Provides support to PPRC’s appliedresearch and community/neighborhood development units.The significant project established and maintainedby MIDAS is the Workforce Information System(WIS). WIS was developed in order to bring betterqualified workers to local industry. WIS providesthe St. Louis Metropolitan Region with timelyworkforce information. This comprehensivedatabase includes current estimates and projectionson occupation demand and a current picture of thechanging skills and job requirements of thoseoccupations. This information is assembledthrough in extensive survey of local businessthroughout the two state, twelve county region.Complementing this information is data onregional and county economies, demographics,labor force composition and profiles of theeducation, training and employment communities.The information is utilized by a variety of agenciesand organizations, including:· Training and employment entities· Colleges and universities· K-12 school districts· State one-stop career centers· Vocational education centers· Economic development agencies· Workforce development departments· Human Resources departments· Community organizationsThe WIS provides its information on the demandfor occupations and their skills through a webbased system. The web-based information includesan interactive web page; online business surveys;semi-annual surveys of local industry; mapping11

capabilities; relational database capacities; anddatabases related to specific sectors of theworkforce. WIS is the vehicle by which MIDASpresents research, information and data as it relatesto the labor force, the economy and related socialissues.WIS currently provides descriptive data to organizations in order to bring better-qualified workersto local industry. This is a long-term and farreaching program, and the WIS envisions anevolution in the kind of data that it is able toprovide. The project seeks to develop methods ofdelivering analyses that are focused on specificelements of the workforce development system.Examples might include demographic projectionson the labor force, an assessment of the capacity ofthe education and training institutions and organizations to meet the local demand for labor, and amonograph series devoted to local labor supply anddemand issuesMAJOR PROJECTS FOR 2001·St. Louis Area Training and EmploymentAgency (SLATE)MIDAS is currently working with a major grantfrom SLATE which utilizes the WorkforceInformation System. MIDAS has created a websitefor SLATE and provides primary labor marketinformation as collected through an extensivesurvey of industry in the twelve-county region.Some of the project information includesdemographics and economic and social data relatingto the economy and the workforce developmentsystem.·University of Missouri Extensionthe health services and advanced manufacturingindustry. The occupation ladders will be utilizedby high school and college counselors to promotecareers to students, as well as by employee agenciesand others in the targeted industries. This data willbe disseminated both electronically and in printversion.East-West Gateway Coordinating CouncilProvided data regarding demographics pertainingto the labor marketPROJECTS FOR 2002Census 2000 AnalysisMIDAS will integrate U.S. Census data to composean analysis of the St. Louis region. The focus ofthe analysis will include workforce andemployment-related issues that can be included onthe WIS website for easy access and distribution.These analyses will also be used to complete twochapters for an upcoming publication on St. Louisfrom 1950-2000; this volume will be published bythe Missouri Historical Society in conjunctionwith the PPRC.Life and Plant Sciences Labor StudyThis WIS labor market study will employ a multimethod design to measure the demand for labor inthe Life and Plant Sciences industry cluster. Thisproject will establish PPRC and MIDAS as apartner in the region’s significant investment inresearch and development in Life and Plant Sciencetechnology and knowledge.MIDAS was awarded a significant grant throughUM-Extension to create occupational ladders for12

PPRC FellowsFACULTY FELLOWS 2001An integral component to the overall work of the Center is supporting the research efforts of UM-St. Louisfaculty members through the PPRC Fellows Program. Fellows undertake public policy research in PPRC’s areasof interest and work for and with neighborhood and community groups on advancing their agendas. Additionalinformation about the faculty fellows is provided below.Brady Baybeck, Assistant ProfessorTim Baumann, Assistant ProfessorRita Caspo- Sweet, Associate ProfessorLouis Gerteis, ProfessorMichael Harris, Associate ProfessorAndrew Hurley, ProfessorBruce Jacobs, Associate ProfessorE. Terrence Jones, ProfessorPolitical ScienceAnthropologyCommunicationHistoryBusiness AdministrationHistoryCriminology & Criminal JusticePolitical Science, Public PolicyAdministration & Internship CoordinatorNursingEconomicsAnthropologyPolitical ScienceEconomicsSocial WorkPolitical ScienceEconomicsDeborah Kiel, Clinical Assistant ProfessorDonald Phares, ProfessorVan Reidhead, Associate ProfessorDavid B. Robertson, ProfessorDavid Rose, Assistant ProfessorUma Segal, Associate ProfessorLana Stein, ProfessorAnne Winkler, Associate ProfessorCOMMUNITY FELLOWS 2001Under an innovative program established in 2001, the Public Policy Research Center named its firstCommunity Fellows. This program is designed to foster partnerships among University andCommunity interests seeking to improve the St. Louis region. The program acknowledges the uniqueand extensive first-hand knowledge of community leaders in addressing the issues that most directly affectUnder an innovative program established in 2001, the Public Policy Research Center named its firstthat community, and it also recognizes the capacity of leaders to develop innovative solutions that areCommunity Fellows. This program is designed to foster partnerships among University and Community interestsspecifically suited to their community. By building linkages and encouraging greater cooperationseeking to improve the St. Louis region. The program acknowledges the unique and extensive first-hand knowledgebetweencommunityand Universityresearchers,programour collectiveof communityleadersleadersin addressingthe issuesthat most thedirectlyaffectincreasesthat community.Bycapacitybuildingtolinkages andproducepositivechangefortheregion.encouraging greater cooperation between community leaders and University researchers, the program increases ourcollective capacity to produce positive change for the region.Community fellows maintain their professional positions, but spend one day per week on the UMSLfellowsmaintaintheirprofessionalpositions,but benefitspend onedayper week onthe UMSLcampus,Communityworking withstaff, facultyandstudentson projectsthat nizationandneighborhoods. Fellows receive a stipend for their involvement, as well as matching support for projectneighborhoods. andFellowsstipend fortheirinvolvement,as Centerwell as currentlymatching hassupportimplementationaccessreceiveto theaexpertiseof thePPRCstaff. Thetwo for PRCstaff.TheCentercurrentlyhastwo Community Fellows.Community Fellows.Sean Thomas, Deputy DirectorRebecca Zoll, Executive DirectorSLACONorth County, Inc.13

PublicationsCommunications has been an essential componentof the Public Policy Research Center’s missionsince its beginning. The Center is very activelyengaged in the community at all levels, and it isthrough the communications element that theCenter creates its strong presence in thecommunity. The Center regularly disseminates theresults of the applied research, community andneighborhood development, and MIDAS activities;this is accomplished through the composition anddistribution of several publications, as well asthrough conferences, seminars, workshops,lectures, and the PPRC website.The Center’s communications and publicationsefforts achieve multiple objectives. PPRC providesdata and research information to communityorganizations and policy makers, as well as tocommunity residents so that they may becomeactively involved in the decision-making process.The Center disseminates information throughoutthe university, thus enhancing the ability of boththe Center and the University to be responsive tothe needs of the region. PPRC’s forums, seminarsand conferences serve to bring together variouscomponents of the St. Louis region and to invitethem into a space that is structured for dialogue.Finally, the Center’s dissemination efforts expandthe visibility of the Center, which in turnstrengthens the credibility not only of the Centerbut also of the University, thus increasing theCenter’s capacity to secure external fundingthrough grants and contract work. This results infurther invitations to share research findings and tofacilitate the gathering of the community.projects being undertaken by Center staff, grantsand awards, community initiatives and new staffprofiles.· January 2001 issue, MetropolitanInformation and Data Analysis Services:Future Resource for Regional Information· April 2001 issue, Community ComebackTax: A Framework for Reinvestment?· August 2001 issue, Two Community LeadersNamed PPRC FellowsPPRC Information Kit . PPRCpublishes an Information Kit, which serves as anoverview of the structure, mission, strategy andmajor projects of the Center. It also includes asummary of each of the units as well as each of theCenter’s core activities, and this is updatedapproximately once every two years.In The Public Interest This is acomprehensive brochure that provides informationabout all public policy resources available throughthe University of Missouri – St. Louis. Thisbrochure is updated as necessary, to include newresources as well as organizational and outreachchanges in the existing resources.Policy Briefs

E-mail: [email protected] This represents the Public Policy Research Center’s second formal Annual Report. During 2001 the Center established and expanded a significant number of its community and university partnerships. This report represents an overview of our work