Blog

Success in economic development is measured differently by many different economic development organizations. While some publish the number of new jobs created, others emphasize business expansion successes or the number of businesses attracted within a time period. Because of these different approaches, the metrics of economic development remains an intriguing topic for practitioners and researchers. 

Nowhere on the globe has been exempt from the coronavirus. In Australia, the pandemic hit just as local economies were beginning to recover from widespread bushfires. Economic Development Australia has been a leader in encouraging colleagues to consider how to support local businesses throughout a disaster. 

The U.S. Small Business Administration has developed a free curated list of thousands of funding sources at the national, state, regional, and local levels designed to support small businesses in accessing capital to recover from COVID-19.

On December 27, 2020, President Trump signed the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act of 2021, a long-awaited second round of government funding and assistance for businesses and citizens. The legislation provides a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package and a $1.4 trillion government funding package that serves as critical pandemic aid.