Drivers for a Successful Technology-Based Economy: Benchmarking Washingtons Performance

This 2003 report assesses Washingtons progress in building its technology-based economy and compares it to its peer states in various measures relating to education, research capacity, and entrepreneurial climate. It concludes that if the state is to maintain the national position it has held until now as a center for innovation and entrepreneurship, it must address a number of areas in its K-12 and higher education systems, attract additional talent and funding to its research institutions, and build support for new and emerging companies.

Role of Economics in Extended Producer Responsibility: Making Policy Choices and Setting Policy Goals

The author addresses three main topics: appropriate goals for extended producer responsibility (EPR); conditions under which EPR should be preferred over alternative non-EPR policy instruments; and specific policy instruments that are both cost-effective and consistent
with EPR principles.

Taking the Pulse of the Tech Sector: A Coincident Index of High-tech Activity

A new index of the U.S. high-tech sector, drawing upon a range of technology-specific data, has the potential to offer a more timely assessment of economic activity than has been possible to date. The index suggests that while the tech sector has rebounded from its poor performance in the 2000-01 "tech bust," it has not resumed its rapid expansion of the late 1990s.

Economic Development Via Science and Technology - How Can Arizona Improve Its Standing?

This report sheds light on economic development issues through an overview of Arizona’s standing in science and technology today, short case studies of four competitors in the west, as well as Arizona, and ideas for Arizona’s leaders to consider as they strive to give our state an edge.

Green Consumers and Public Policy: On Socially Contingent Moral Motivation

In this paper, the authors discuss green consumerism as a case of moral motivation among consumers. Drawing on insights from social psychology, they point out that a social interdependency between different consumers’ moral motivation must be expected to exist, even if consumers are motivated by internalized moral norms rather than social sanctions imposed by others.