Economic Impact Analysis and Program Evaluation

Economic impact analysis is a methodology for evaluating the impacts of a project, program, policy, or an entire industry sector on the economy of a specified region.  Economic impact analysis describes impacts on income, number of jobs, value-added, tax revenues, and their distribution among industries and regions.  ORA staff possess a strong background in economic impact analysis and have vast experience developing economic impact models.  IMPLAN is a state-of-the-art economic impact modeling system that offers flexibility to allow the user to define industries and the economic relationships between them.  The staff’s knowledge of the structural basis of the IMPLAN model and experience in real-world applications ensures a robust analysis.   We take pride in our ability to communicate findings to stakeholders and decision-makers in straightforward ways.

Current/Past Projects:

• Economic Impacts of the NJ Turfgrass Industry in 2019 (Sullivan, et al.) ongoing – Rutgers Center for Turf Science
  • Managed all aspects of major research study. 
  • Developed survey of the NJ turfgrass industry.  
  • Estimated the economic impacts of equine in NJ using IMPLAN modeling.
  • Link to Report

• Economic Contribution of Agriculture to the New Jersey Economy (Sullivan & Schilling)
  • Estimated economic impacts using secondary data and IMPLAN modeling.
  • Link to Paper

• Farmland Assessment Productivity Values (Gottlieb and Sullivan) ongoing – NJDA/NJDT
  • Created time-series database of essential agricultural data elements
  • Developed documentable and reproducible methodology to estimate New Jersey’s agricultural land values
  • Evaluated impacts of new policies and other developments on vital Statewide program, including impacts from minimum wage increases, labor availability and immigration laws, international trade developments, hemp legalization, etc. 
  • Link to Data/Reports

• The Economic Importance of New Jersey’s Food System in 2012 (Schilling & Sullivan).
  • Estimated the economic impacts of the NJ food industry using secondary data and IMPLAN modeling.
  • Link to Paper

• Economic Impacts of the New Jersey Sensory Science Industry (Sullivan & Richardson).
  • Estimated the economic impacts of the New Jersey sensory science sector.
  • Link to Paper

• Examining the Economic Benefits of Agritourism: The Case of New Jersey (Schilling, B.J., Sullivan, K.P., and Komar, S.J.).
  • Developed and administered survey of New Jersey agricultural producers.   
  • Performed survey data analysis and constructed economic impact model of agritourism in New Jersey.
  • Link to Paper

• Economic Impacts of the NJ Wine Industry (Ward & Sullivan).
  • Estimated the economic impacts of New Jersey wineries using IMPLAN modeling.  

• Economic Impacts of the New Jersey Blueberry and Cranberry Industry (Sullivan, Schilling).
  • Estimated economic impacts using secondary data and IMPLAN modeling.
  • Link to Paper

• Economic Impacts of the New Jersey Equine Industry (Gottlieb, Schilling, Sullivan, Malinowski).
  • Developed survey administered to the New Jersey horse industry.
  • Performed survey data analysis and constructed economic impact model of New Jersey’s equine industry.
  • Link to Paper

• Economic Impacts of New Jersey’s Food System: A 2010 Update (Schilling & Sullivan).
  • Estimated the economic impacts of the New Jersey food industry using secondary data and IMPLAN modeling.
  • Link to Paper

• Economic Impacts of Urban Forestry (Talmage, Sullivan, Schilling, & Grabowski).
  • Estimated the economic impacts of urban forestry in New Jersey using secondary data and IMPLAN modeling.