Insights Archives

Minnesota Compass has revised the Jobs key measure in the Economy section. Compass researcher Allison Churilla answers questions about the changes and the reasons behind them, and points out some key learnings we can glean from the revised measure and accompanying breakdowns by geography.

Construction of the Central Corridor Light Rail Line running along University Avenue and linking downtown Saint Paul and downtown Minneapolis is well underway. The Central Corridor Funders Collaborative provides support to build on the strengths of adjacent neighborhoods, and is working with Compass staff to track changes along the corridor.

In Robert Putnam's book, "Bowling Alone," he demonstrated that since the 1960s, Americans have become less involved in their communities, less trusting in their neighbors, and less likely to give of their time and resources. In short, he concluded that the fabric holding together neighborhoods is slowly unraveling. And he warns that our stock of social capital has plummeted, impoverishing our lives and communities.

The gender wage gap is one of the most frequently cited social indicators of gender disparity. According to a recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a full-time working woman in Minnesota earns, on average, 83 cents for every dollar earned by a man. This represents positive change since 2003, when the gender wage gap hit a low of 74 cents.

Super Bowl victors come and go every 12 months. Can you even remember who won a few weeks ago, or last year? However, training and play execution for a prosperous Minnesota require 365 days of attention. Can we win at that game?

What might the ESPN-like pundits observe, were they to gauge the likelihood of a Minnesota victory in this global economy? Where does our General Manager (aka all of us who care about the state) need to focus attention?

Housing is more than shelter. Our communities need stable neighborhoods where families can put down roots. Children need safe, stable homes and neighborhoods to flourish and succeed in school. With so much changing in the housing market, reports of volatile prices, it's a good chance to take a step back and look at how all of these numbers are impacting our communities.

Editor's note: Many people ask us what the official definition of poverty is. The answer is a bit more complicated than you might think. Paul Mattessich, executive director of Wilder Research and director of Minnesota Compass, sheds some light on this question and answer(s).

Melanie Ferris is a research scientist at Wilder Research who specializes in the area of public health. She shares her thoughts on some critical issues related to health, and some things being done around the state to address them.

In recent years, we at The McKnight Foundation have increasingly recognized the value of developing a central collection of neighborhood indicators. When the opportunity presented itself to work with Compass to create such a system, it seemed a logical next step in our work together.

Compass talks with Ann DeGroot, Minneapolis Youth Coordinating Board