New Demographics Program Helps Government Leaders Plan for the Future

Georgia leaders at all levels of government will now be able to make more informed decisions related to tough public issues through the Applied Demography Program, a new service of the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government.

The program, a partnership with the state's Office of Planning and Budget, will provide a regularly updated, consistent and objective set of population and employment data useful for state and local government budget planning, said Warren Brown, director of the Applied Demography Program.

"By combining local trends with forecasts of national, state and regional changes, the Applied Demography Program will fill the gap for information between what the U.S. Census Bureau does for the nation and what Georgia cities and counties can do on their own and deliver it in an expedient manner," he explained.

The Vinson Institute will release the first population and employment projections to the public by the end of March, along with guidelines on how they can be used by government entities for strategic planning. Updates will be released every two years.

"The University of Georgia and the Vinson Institute have always been committed to providing leaders with systematic, data-driven research to address public issues. We look forward to enhancing officials' ability to anticipate future scenarios and plan accordingly in today's increasingly complex government environment," said Steve Wrigley, Vinson Institute director.

For example, the Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources plans to incorporate the Applied Demography Program's population and employment projections into their process for developing regional water plans throughout the state.

Before joining the Vinson Institute, Brown directed Cornell University's Program on Applied Demographics, producing population estimates and projections for New York State. He has worked closely with the U.S. Census Bureau; he is a past chair of the bureau's Federal State Cooperative for Population Estimates.

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