Pioneer recommends that the state create benchmarks for city performance in education, economic development, public safety and fiscal management. That data could then inform the state’s strategic plan for revitalizing the cities. Pioneer is now committed to collecting that data for the 14 cities currently participating in our Middle Cities Initiative to help the state and cities better measure local performance. Data can be found at: masscitystats.org

A sample of Pioneer’s research on benchmarking include:

• Municipal Benchmarks for Massachusetts Middle Cities: Educational Achievement
• Closing Springfield’s Achievement Gap
• Driving the New Urban Agenda
• Learning from Springfield
• New Business Creation and The Urban Economy
• Extending the Stat Model Across the Commonwealth