UALR Institute for Economic Advancement

Arkansas Business asked industry leaders to share their expectations for 2021, both before and after the coronavirus vaccine is widely available. Here’s what they said. read more >

It’s a perfect story: Hardworking young man full of energy and ideas finds unlikely success, only to be knocked down by the establishment that feels threatened by a new generation of talent. Maybe a little too perfect. read more >

Personal consumption expenditures in the United States rose 4.3 percent in 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. read more >

Although the unemployment rate gets the most attention, Arkansas economist Michael Pakko recently also looked at the employment rate in the state over the last year and since the Great Recession. read more >

Under its new name, the Arkansas Economic Development Institute, based at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, is refocusing as a proactive entity promoting economic growth in the state. read more >

Arkansas’ taxable sales rose a seasonally adjusted 0.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016 and were up 1.8 percent compared with a year earlier. read more >

A multimillion-dollar incentives package is helping attract the Chinese garment maker that plans to build a $20 million plant in Little Rock and open it by the end of 2017. read more >

A Chinese garment maker’s plan to spend $20 million building a factory in Little Rock is an example of a manufacturing phenomenon that is picking up steam as automation begins to wash out the labor cost advantage that for decades enticed manufacturers to move overseas. read more >

Unemployment rates rose slightly in Arkansas metro areas in June, but rates are still lower than a year ago, notes Michael Pakko, chief economist at the Institute for Economic Advancement at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. read more >

In preparation for a recent presentation to the Association of Arkansas Development Organizations, I gathered a set of statistics on demographics and economic development for Arkansas’ 75 counties. Mapping the results yielded some interesting patterns, although in many cases not terribly surprising. read more >

David Altig, executive vice president and director of research for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, will address the national economic outlook at the 2013 Arkansas Economic Forecast Conference on Nov. 6. read more >