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| Strategic Economic
Community Analysis
SAMPLE Report Outline
The following is a brief outline
of a P&A report submitted as part of a community economic development project in
Canada. The report itself is approximately 100 pages of information and suggestions for
the development of the community.
Each local and regional economy is unique and each situation will
require its own specific approach. This analysis is just an example for discussion
purposes.
P&A Management, September 30, 1998
Copyright
1998 all right reserved by P&A Management. No part of this paper or publication may be
reproduced or in any other form stored in a data base or retrieval system or used in any
form without prior written permission of P&A.
1 Executive Summary
4 to 5 page overview of the report
2 Essential Notes for the Reader
2.1 Report Focus
The focus of this report is on the
economic, social, and environmental realities that are, for the most part, beyond the
communities control. These are issues that the community either now faces or will face in
the short or long-term. As history cannot be changed, this includes an analysis of the
current community profile.
2.2 Methodology
2.3 Comments on Strategic Planning
2.4 Use of Quantitative Data, Statistics,
etc.
2.5 Report Structure
This report is built in ‘layers’ so
that it provides information for:
1. those who will be active in identifying the issues
in future,
2. those who will be
directly affected by the issues and depend on solutions,
3. those who will
take the leadership in solving the issues for the community.
The Layers:
Issue Identification
Explanation of Issue
Implication of Issue for Your Community
Approaches to Solution
The Inclusion of Questions:
Questions are injected in numerous places for
the community to consider. (this could be at the Town hall, Development Center, business,
community, discussion groups, etc.)
3 What factors have built YOUR COMMUNITY?
3.1 Ecological factors
3.2 Social factors
3.2.1 Civicness
3.2.2 Demographics
3.3 Economic factors
4 Where YOUR COMMUNITY stands today
relative to other communities
Emphasis on statistical information. Includes
tables, charts, graphs etc. Takes a look at the current situation and significant trends
in each category with a comparison to neighboring communities, the province/state, or
national trends.
4.1 Demographics
4.1.1 Population Profile and
Projections
4.1.2 Population Migration
4.1.3 Wealth distribution
4.2 Industrial Sector
Dependency
A look at the
significance to your community of individual companies, industrial sectors, and groups of
‘like’ sectors.
This poses the question: How should YOUR COMMUNITY structure look 10 years from now? This
is virtually the essence of economic development.
4.3
Income
4.3.1 Average Per Capita Income
Comparison
4.3.2 Family
Structure Income Comparison
4.4 Employment
4.4.1 Labor Force Activity
4.4.2 Youth Employment
4.4.3 Women’s Roles
4.4.4
Seasonal Nature
4.4.5
Safety Net Reliance
4.4.6
Reliance on Transfer Payments
4.5
Social
4.5.1 Education
4.5.2 Crime
4.5.3 Culture
4.6
Environmental
4.7 The Provincial/State Economy: a brief profile
A look
at significant conditions in the broader community.
5 What
kind of community does YOUR COMMUNITY want to become?
Poses the questions:
Should YOUR COMMUNITY continue to follow existing
patterns of development?
OR
Should YOUR COMMUNITY attempt to develop new
directions or new industrial sectors?
i.e.: diversify the local economy by building
weaker sectors or encourage the development of new sectors.
6 Identified Overall Issues
6.1 ISSUE #1: The community is facing a
rapidly changing economy. How can prosperity, social satisfaction, and quality-of-life be
secured?
6.11 Explanation
An explanation and elaboration on the
stated issue.
6.1.2 Local Implications
What the issue will mean for the local
community, businesses, and residents.
6.1.3 Approaches to Solution for the
Community
A positive and proactive discussion of
approaches that the community could take to solve, or reduce the impact of , or to take
advantage of, the issues presented.
6.2 ISSUE #2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, ETC…
7 Local Issues and Opportunities
The preceding examined some overall
community approaches to solution to the issues.
The following looks at specific sectors and what the overall issues may mean for each
sector (implications). It also offers community based approaches to solution as well as
some specific opportunities and challenges within each sector. It is not intended to be
definitive but is designed to encourage discussion and ideas within the community and its
leadership.
7.1 Industrial
Sector 1
7.1.1 Overall Issues affecting this sector
7.1.2 Approaches to solution
7.1.3 Opportunities & Challenges
7.2 Industrial
Sector 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, ETC…
8 What
kind of community does YOUR COMMUNITY want to become?
This returns to the question posed early on in
the paper. Given what we are today, where do we want to go tomorrow?
Does the community want to be a mono-economy (reliant on one sector) or a diversified
economy where both goods and services dominate the economy.
Where does the community want to be on a scale
of behavior?
consumption  arbiter community
(reliant on the larger economy)
(setting
its own direction)
Etc…
8.1 Suggested Overall Approach to
Solution
8.2 Specific Recommendation 1
8.3 Specific Recommendation 2, 3, 4, 5, ETC….
8.4 Who will take the leadership in economic
development?
9 Identification of
further research & survey requirements
10 Appendix / Graphs
11 Glossary
NOTE: the format
of this report supports condensing to a brief summary of the important observations and
conclusions. This is suitable for dissemination of the salient and relevant points to
community groups.
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