Two interesting studies came out this week, one documenting the economic value of natural resources and another documenting the economic benefits of the arts.
In From Beaches to Pine Barrens, a Study Puts Values on New Jersey's Natural Assets (by Pam Belluck; photograph by Keith Meyers), the New York Times reports, for example, that the "Pine Barrens...have an environmental value of about $1,476 an acre a year, based on their ability to provide the earth with water, animal habitat and pollination...The report, by economists commissioned by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, tries to put a dollar value on the state's natural resources, from the Jersey Shore to the Kittatinny Mountains, to places like, well, Weehawken. Beaches like Sandy Hook and Sea Girt, with their environmentally essential sand dunes, had the highest value per acre per year, about $42,000..." A highlighted map is included with the online version of the article.
Also, Americans for the Arts recently completed its third economic impact study of the arts, Arts & Economic Prosperity III. The study "reveals that the nonprofit arts industry generates $166.2 billion in economic activity every year, resulting in $29.6 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenues. The nation’s nonprofit arts and culture industry has grown steadily since the first analysis by Americans for the Arts in 1992, expanding at a rate greater than inflation. Between the second study conducted in 2000 and 2005, spending by organizations and their audiences grew 24 percent, from $134 billion to $166.2 billion in total economic activity—$63.1 billion in spending by organizations and an additional $103.1 billion in event-related spending by their audiences. The total economic activity has a significant national impact, generating the following:
- 5.7 million full-time equivalent jobs
- $104.2 billion in resident household income
- $7.9 billion in local government tax revenues
- $9.1 billion in state government tax revenues
- $12.6 billion in federal government tax revenues
Following the second Americans for the Arts link above, interested readers can download .pdfs of a brochure with study highlights; a summary report with background, scope, and methodology; and the full text of the report (available after June 6th). The study's web page also includes useful tools for "making the case for arts support in your community," including a calculator for estimating the impact of the arts in your community, a downloadable Powerpoint presentation of National Economic Impact findings, a sample opinion-editorial about the study (available June 6th), an ever-expanding toolkit (available June 6th), and much more on the economic impact web page and elsewhere on the organization's web site. Also of interest are Americans for the Arts' new ARTSblog and ARTcast (podcasts). Our New York State readers may also be particularly interested in these highlights from the Museum Association of New York's study Cultural/Heritage Tourism: Opportunity, Impact, Implications.
If you are more interested in the economic impacts of historic preservation, you may wish to review my previous post, Historic Preservation Enhances Quality of Life, Produces Economic Benefits.
And, as always, if you are aware of similar reports and studies, please pass them along and I will try to add links to them.
If you are more interested in the economic impacts of historic preservation, you may wish to review my previous post, Historic Preservation Enhances Quality of Life, Produces Economic Benefits.
And, as always, if you are aware of similar reports and studies, please pass them along and I will try to add links to them.
