North Dakota ranks third in academic research and development per $1,000 of gross state product and first in state competitiveness, according to a report recently issued by the Beacon Hill Institute at Boston’s Suffolk University.
The 2010 edition of the annual state competitiveness rating places North Dakota first overall, significantly improved from number 21 in 2001. The BHI competitiveness index is based on a set of 43 indicators divided into eight subindexes – government and fiscal policy, security, infrastructure, human resources, technology, business incubation, openness, and environmental policy.
The state came in at 13th in the report’s technology 2010 subindex, up from 20th in 2007. Academic R&D remained steady at third per $1,000 gross state product. North Dakota ranked third in science and engineering graduate students per 100,000 inhabitants and fourth (8th in 2007) in science and engineering degrees awarded per 100,000 inhabitants. In the technology subindex, the report also noted that North Dakota ranked 42nd in scientists and engineers as a percentage of the labor force and 33rd in the percentage of total wage and salary jobs in high technology industries, compared to 47th in the 2007 report.
“This report offers a snapshot of strides that have been made in the state and the role that research universities can play in enhancing a state’s economy,” said Philip Boudjouk, vice president for research, creative activities and technology transfer at NDSU.
The full report is found athttp://www.beaconhill.org/competitivenesshomepage.html
In the subindex of business incubation, North Dakota ranked 16th in 2010, compared to 23rd in 2007.
Beacon Hill Institute, which issued the report, is an independent, nonpartisan economic research organization located in the Department of Economics at Suffolk University in Boston, Mass. The Institute has been a leader in the development of econometric models for the analysis of state tax policy changes, interstate economic competitiveness and community economic impact studies.
MORE INFO:
http://www.beaconhill.org/competitivenesshomepage.html
