Resources

New Scorecard Data on the Strength of State Policies

CFED has released new data on the strength of 12 state policies (http://scorecard.assetsandopportunity.org/2012/policychange.php) that help families create financial security and opportunity. These data capture policy changes that occurred in the 2012 state legislative session, or for which data became available after fall 2011. For more information, visit http://assetsandopportunity.org/scorecard/.

Bank Branches from the FDIC

Visualize the location of bank branches across the nation, overlay them on top of market indicators like income, households, racial composition and more. Learn about each bank’s assets and total deposits and see how bank branch locations compare from one part of the country to another. This public dataset is now available on PolicyMap under “Banking” in the “Add Sites” menu (left navigation bar) for free (www.policymap.com/maps).

New Podcast Series on Workforce Development

How might we rethink workforce development to best respond to current and future economies? Experts from industry and academia provide their thoughts on this and other related topics in Economic Development podcasts. Recent podcasts focus on jobs and unemployment, and feature speakers from the national conference, Future of Workforce Development: Where Research Meets Practice, co-sponsored by the Federal Reserve Banks of Kansas City and Atlanta.

• Metrics for Success: Critical Elements for Workforce Development Programs
  Elizabeth Weigensberg, University of Chicago, discusses recent research on key components of the most successful workforce development programs and provides recommendations for how existing programs can be more effective.
• Collaborative Efforts: Colleges and Nonprofits Partner to Enhance Workers’ Skills
  Maureen Conway, Aspen Institute, discusses the results of the Courses to Employment project, which analyzed how community colleges and nonprofits worked together to help low-income adults succeed in the classroom and labor market.

To view transcripts or play the audio MP3 files, visit www.frbatlanta.org/podcasts/economicdevelopment/