LA Tech Center for Economic Research

The Center for Economic Research (CER) provides economic analysis to private businesses and government agencies in the greater Louisiana region. Housed within the College of Business at Louisiana Tech University, the Center serves to connect the university community with economic development efforts in the state by supplying detailed economic impact analysis of both private enterprise and government policy initiatives.
As a part of its community outreach, the CER partners with businesses and local area chambers of commerce to provide updates of the ever-changing economic landscape and forecasts for Louisiana. The Center also partners with faculty in co-curricular efforts by producing the quarterly Regional Economic Analysis of Louisiana (REAL) Report with College of Business economics and finance students. Annually, the CER produces the Louisiana Economic Abstract which outlines macroeconomic trends at the state and MSA level.

The REAL Report is a quarterly publication of the Center for Economic Research which highlights the research efforts of undergraduate business (but mostly economics) majors on major economic events of the state and local economy. The class is built around the premise that much of the economic intuition we learn in a traditional economic curriculum is difficult if not impossible to square with reality when confronted with data. This class allows students the opportunity to question much of the underlying assumptions we as economists tend to rely heavily on when teaching economics. It provides a much needed avenue for not only application and writing, but also data science skills that are highly sought after among firms and graduate schools alike. 

The Louisiana Economic Abstract is the annual report of the Center for Economic Research. It summarizes the broad movements of the state economy, forecasts major economic indicators, and details opportunities and strengths for the Pelican State. The publication is not a student work, and as such tackles a more complex cross-section of topics and methods with which to serve as a resource for the business and policymaking community. Louisiana struggles with an economy that is not economically diversified and that has systematically underfunded higher education for decades (among other things as well). These struggles represent areas of opportunity to encourage economic growth that can benefit all areas of the economy. This publication is designed to talk about these areas of opportunity in the context of economic data and analysis in a way that is non-partisan in order to better inform the public and its policymakers.