In an effort to provide impartial, data-driven analysis of the various policy, economic, and environmental issues that economic growth and development can bring, a new institute is slated for launch in the spring of 2020 at Coastal Carolina University.

The vision of the Institute for Principled Development is to be a thought leader in Horry and surrounding counties, providing scientifically derived data and analyses to guide the local community into its best future. The institute will provide comprehensive, cross-disciplinary expertise, resulting in information that will contribute to reasoned decision-making about development and growth.

"There is great interest from all of our community members, including private citizens, business owners, governmental officials and not-for-profit groups, in an institute that will provide expertise that can contribute factual information to assist in making decisions about this community that we all care very much about," said Barbara Ritter, dean of the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration at CCU, which will house the institute. "All analyses will be based on data, quantitative analysis, and policy review, and the institute will provide impartial, neutral findings based on the data." Given the high rate of growth in Horry County, coupled with the heighted attention around development, jobs, and infrastructure, the institute is poised to be a valuable resource to constituents within the county, as well as policymakers in the county and in the state.

Ritter said that the activities of the institute will be multi-disciplinary, bringing together social scientists, such as economists, along with natural scientists. "This is truly an opportunity for research to occur that is analyzed through multiple frames and backed up with hard data," she said.

"We are launching the Institute for Principled Development to bring scholars, practitioners, and policymakers together," said Robert Salvino Jr., professor of economics at CCU and the director of the Grant Center for Real Estate and Economics. "We aim to examine factors affecting the community, such as resiliency and recovery, best practices for managing natural disasters and their aftermath, effects on housing prices, and related questions."

Through its research and data-based activities, the Institute for Principled Development will be an impartial and credible source for those seeking answers to some of the complex planning and development issues facing our region.