State urged to do more to keep track of economy

Friday, Jan. 12, 2001 | 11:29 a.m.

A report from the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, shows Nevada's family incomes have stagnated or worsened while the nation generally has seen gains in median family income.

Edie Rassell, an economist with the institute, stopped short of assigning blame for the trend detailed in the report, titled "The State of Working America 2000-2001."

Instead, Rassell said Tuesday she hopes Nevada will join the other 25 states that have worked locally to establish agencies to track state economic trends.

"As more policymaking is taking place at the state level, as more and more is devolved to states - medical care, child care - people have become more concerned," she said.

But in many cases people can't find specific information at the state levels because no one is assigned to compile it, she said.

Keith Schwer, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at UNLV, said in most cases numbers tracking the poverty line and similar data are available. But he conceded that less economic information is available for Nevada than for other states with more diversified economies.

Marlys Morton, director of the Nevada Kids Count Project, housed at the Center for Business and Economic Research, said more can be done.

"As far as policy analysis for low-income, poverty-level and disadvantaged people of Nevada - that angle hasn't been explored," Morton said. "Anything we can do to address the economic well-being of children and families in our state would be enlightening. It would help produce better policy."