Our Purpose and Mission:

The Rust Belt Economic Review is a policy research nonprofit focused on economic trends across the Rust Belt states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The R.B.E.R., in addition to covering new developments, also presents original policy analysis and provides in-depth recommendations on how policy can be improved to maximize its impact on the populations of specific Rust Belt communities and the region as a whole.

The goal of the R.B.E.R. is to draw attention to the economic conditions of Rust Belt communities in order to promote policy change and support at the local, state, and federal levels. We operate on the key idea that local economic conditions are one of the greatest factors determining individual and family well-being, shaping job availability, wages, and local government revenue.

We find this focus on Rust Belt economic policy especially important in a post-pandemic world, as the pandemic disrupted many communities and caused rapid shifts in economic productivity, standards of living, and population. With the Rust Belt being home to roughly 85 million Americans, the health of the Rust Belt is the health of the nation and every American.