economic development

Open Streets Initiatives, a movement growing around the United States, open urban spaces normally reserved for cars to people, providing a safe environment for socializing and other activities. The goal of the events is to promote healthy living and community building. Researchers at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, with the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, evaluated the 2011 St. Louis Open Streets Initiative to examine participation in the events. “With over 1,800 participants in 2011 and leadership from the mayor’s office, St. Louis has the potential to become a model and leader in the Open Streets movement,” says J. Aaron Hipp, PhD, assistant professor of public health at the Brown School.

The MasterCard Foundation announced a partnership with a consortium of four organizations to conduct a landmark, global research initiative that will test how to sustainably deliver savings services to low-income youth in the developing world.  The initiative — YouthSave — is based on emerging evidence that suggests linking youth to savings may improve their economic, educational and health-related futures.  The four organizations participating in the consortium are Save the Children, the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis, the New America Foundation, and CGAP (the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor).

The Center for Social Development at the Brown School is advising and helping to test innovations in asset building — strategies that increase financial and tangible assets for families and businesses — in several countries in East and Southeast Asia.

Two early-stage companies received commitments for funding at the annual Olin Cup awards ceremony Feb. 7 at the Olin Business School. The top award of $50,000 went to Is That One Good? (ITOG), a Web site (itog.com) that allows users to generate relevant, accurate product recommendations, hold meaningful discussion about the products and discover new […]

Release embargoed until 9 p.m. Feb. 7, 2008. Two student-owned business startups won the top honors at the Olin Cup Competition award ceremony Thursday, Feb. 7. The first place award of $50,000 went to Is That One Good? an internet web site where consumers can compare notes on goods and services. The second place, $25,000 prize went to MedExceed, a medical device company. The awards were announced at a ceremony on Feb. 7 at Washington University in St. Louis. Arnold W. Donald, former chairman of Merisant and current president and chief executive officer of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International was the keynote speaker.

Coffee shop encounters could lead to new business ideas.Clustering similar firms in a relatively small geographic area is a common economic development tactic. Research from a business professor at Washington University in St. Louis shows the strategy is most effective when companies are within 500 meters of each other. After that, the benefits of proximity quickly lose its power.

The winners of the inaugural Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition (SEIC) will be announced at a special awards ceremony held on Washington University’s campus. The competition is designed to foster growth for social entrepreneurs who craft innovative processes, approaches, and solutions to help resolve social issues. Over $100,000 is available to winners under a variety of categories.

When both husband and wife hold college degrees, it is the husband’s degree — and the husband’s degree alone — that typically determines whether a “power couple” will move to another city for career purposes, suggests a new study by economists at Washington University in St. Louis. The study is bad news for young women seeking gender equity in salary and career opportunities.

William PeckThe economic future of St. Louis as well as the nation hinges on successful innovation and entrepreneurship. That’s part of the message Dr. Bill Peck, former director of Washington University School of Medicine and new chair of Technology Gateway, a regional economic development organization, will deliver Thursday, February 10. In his talk Peck will explore our definition of “entrepreneur” and examine the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship to education, medical and social progress. Peck will also challenge economic development policies and the current focus on corporate America.

MacDonaldShaken by numerous accounting-related scandals in recent years, some investors are clamoring for better legal protection for their investments. But does investor protection through government regulation foster economic growth? To assess the widely-held view that it does, WUSTL economics professor Glenn MacDonald and two colleagues have completed a study concluding that the positive effect of investor protection on economic growth is stronger for countries with fewer restrictions on international capital flows.