Database Update

Databases for building permits, employment by county, historical unemployment rates, and initial unemployment claims have been updated (Business and Economic Research Center, Middle Tennessee State University).

April Economic Indicators

April Economic Indicators for the Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro MSA

Support BERC Research

The website of the Business and Economic Research Center at MTSU now has a link for making online donations to help support its research work (http://mtsu.edu/~berc/donation.html). Thank you!

BERC Publications

Due to recent budget cuts, the BERC will no longer be printing its publications but only posting them online. (BERC Publications)

Tennessee's Business: Immigration

Tennessee's Business magazine ("Immigration" theme issue), published by MTSU's Business and Economic Research Center, is online.

Articles include:

• "U.S. Immigration: A Historical Perspective "
  by Katherine Fennelly
• “'Immigrationomics': A Discussion of Some Key Issues"
  by William F. Ford
• "Immigration: A View from Capitol Hill— A Policy and Political Perspective"
  by Bradley Jackson
• "Business License Revocation: Is This What the Tennessee Economy Needs?"
  by Rose Paxtor and Linda Rose
• "Immigrants, Education, and Labor Market: A Perspective from Four States"
  by Murat Arik
• "Immigrants, Employment, and Labor Unions: Nashville—Prospects for Coalition"
  by William Canak

Tennessee Housing Market: 1st Quarter 2008

Tennessee Housing Market: 1st Quarter 2008 (pdf, posted 05/19/08): The third in a series of quarterly reports on the housing market in Tennessee, supported by a Tennessee Housing Development Agency grant.

Global Commerce

Global Commerce spring 2008 issue ("State Trade with Africa: Recent Growth") is online. Steven Livingston writes: "The fourth quarter was the best of 2007 for state exporters but substantially behind the U.S."

Gas Prices Killing Confidence

From the Saturday Independent (Manchester, Tennessee, 5-13-08): "The high gas prices will probably have the result of lowering economic growth by one percent, said David Penn, director of the Business & Economic Research Center at MTSU."

Midstate Commuters Seek Other Modes of Transportation

From the Daily News Journal (5-11-08): According to BERC director David Penn, "Fuel prices are going to stay high for the foreseeable future.... It's a pretty good bet it will be up for the next 5 years."

Updated Indicators: Nashville MSA

Economic indicators for the Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro MSA (4/29/08)

Health Industry Drives Job Growth

From the Tennessean (5-05-08): "Even with the drop-off in hiring, health care 'is still providing quite a lot of stability,' said David Penn, an economist at Middle Tennessee State University who tracks the job market and other local economic indicators."