Graduation rates in STEM fields remain stagnant

Between 2016 and 2020, Pennsylvania reported no growth in the number of graduate and post graduate students in STEM fields.

A lack of change may be a positive indicator in this case, however, because many states reported losses.

The shortage of science and engineering professionals nationwide is not conducive to a healthy economy nonetheless.

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Soda tax fosters success in Philadelphia 

Philadelphia implemented a soda tax in 2016, with revenue to be dedicated to pre-K programming.

The city had 2,000 pre-k seats at the time, and there are 4,300 today.

Three new community schools will also be funded in zip codes with high rates of gun violence, low school attendance, and out-of-home child welfare placement. 

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Neighborhood design can reduce gun violence

Evidence suggests that physical layout of neighborhoods could curtain random shootings.

Philadelphia is considering a model used in Portland.

Factors such as speedbumps, less ingress and egress to certain venues, and local access only traffic barrels led to a 60-percent decrease in gun violence. 

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Induced demand foils plans to reduce traffic congestion

When the cost of a product or service is reduced – or it is otherwise made more accessible – people will embrace it with enthusiasm.

This logic of induced demand applies to traffic dynamics as well.

That is why transportation planning that attempts to reduce congestion by widening roads and adding lanes is often unsuccessful.

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Land use and zoning can boost revenue 

Fiscally savvy decision-making sometimes requires abandonment of tradition and reimagination of standard operating procedures.

The Rethinking Revenue initiative released a report encouraging local governments to consider land use and zoning practices with revenue streams in mind.

Activities such as infill development and creation of regulation incentives can boost returns while reducing negative impacts. 

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City-County collaborations foster economic mobility

In a new report, Results for America identified best practices for city-county collaborations.

The organization also presented six case studies of interjurisdictional partnerships to highlight how local governments can work together to more effectively advance economic mobility.

The most impactful collaborations involved clear, high-priority public problems shared by both jurisdictions.  

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