Policy center presents opportunity for nonpartisan research and solutions for Kentucky’s future

Kentucky finds itself at a time of unbelievable financial alternative and problem. On the one hand, enterprise investments are pouring into the state like by no means earlier than, resulting in new jobs and neighborhood revitalization. However, inhabitants progress within the Commonwealth is stagnant, and the state’s workforce participation fee stays one of many lowest within the nation. How can we make sense of those contrasts and contradictions? Extra importantly, what’s the best insurance policies to make sure Kentucky is favorably positioned to capitalize on these alternatives and overcome these challenges?

Offering solutions to those key questions is on the core of the brand new Kentucky Chamber Middle for Coverage and Analysis. Whereas the Chamber is well-known for pro-business advocacy and, via the Kentucky Chamber Basis, programmatic options to main challenges going through the Commonwealth, it additionally has an extended historical past of ideation, elevating essential questions, and bringing forth business-led coverage options. With the launch of the Middle for Coverage and Analysis, led by Govt Director Dr. Charles Aull, the Chamber is solidifying that historical past and paving the best way to construct on it.

Kentucky’s enterprise neighborhood is optimally-situated to supply progressive options to main coverage challenges. In spite of everything, innovation and artistic considering are the bread-and-butter of the non-public sector. The enterprise neighborhood has regularly contributed to transformative state coverage options and concepts in lots of areas, together with aggressive tax reform; reworking Kentucky’s unemployment insurance coverage system to assist speedy reemployment; implementing business-led baby care coverage; addressing systematic points surrounding racial inequality and combating the substance use dysfunction disaster via second-chance hiring initiatives and packages just like the Kentucky Transformational Employment Program.

The mission of the Chamber’s Middle for Coverage and Analysis is to construct on this work and take it to new ranges.

Via authentic analysis stories, the Middle will search to drive conversations round key challenges and inform coverage conversations in Frankfort and Washington with information, dependable analysis and evaluation, and options. Over the past 12 months, the Chamber launched two key stories: 20 Years within the Making: Kentucky Workforce Disaster and Why Tax Reform – Kentucky’s Alternative for Progress. Wanting forward, the Middle will produce extra stories and analyses like these on points akin to tax and financial coverage, felony justice and substance abuse, adjustments to Kentucky’s workforce, and extra.

The Chamber is well-known as a convener – bringing collectively completely different voices and views to achieve consensus. The Middle will leverage that fame by convening teachers, researchers, think-tank analysts, policymakers, advocates, and enterprise leaders to constructively debate and talk about key coverage questions in Kentucky.

Lastly, the Middle will function an important useful resource to lawmakers, policymakers, and different stakeholders in each Frankfort and Washington. Whether or not via information, authentic analysis, or coverage evaluation, decision-makers can rely upon the Kentucky Chamber Middle for Coverage and Analysis for high-quality, sincere data, and perspective.

On the coronary heart of this new initiative is Kentucky’s enterprise neighborhood and its dedication to creating our state the most effective place within the nation to stay and do enterprise. A board of advisors, made up of key trade leaders from all corners of the Commonwealth, will serve to information the Middle’s analysis agenda and embed the enterprise neighborhood’s perspective within the Middle’s work.

Guaranteeing as many voices as doable are on the desk is at all times a optimistic improvement. The Chamber is the authoritative voice of advocacy for Kentucky’s enterprise neighborhood and is a frontrunner in business-led programmatic options. The Kentucky Chamber Middle for Coverage and Analysis will serve to drive the Chamber’s management in coverage ideation and high quality analysis.

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