CBER conducts numerous studies for federal and state government agencies as well as private-sector clients. Research has focused on a variety of critical issues facing Kentucky and the nation, including the following:
- Workforce, Labor, and Human Resources - Research on the social and economic factors governing changes in the labor force and population. Studies have examined unemployment insurance, labor market earnings and employment, labor productivity, child care and labor force issues, income inequality, and welfare programs.
- Economic Forecasting and Development - Analysis of national and world economic changes and their impact on Kentucky. Research issues have included job training; Kentucky employment growth, tourism, and economic development; state and regional economic growth; transportation, and associations between industry location and economic growth.
- Public Finance - Analysis of the allocation of resources by the public sector at the local, state, and national levels. Research activities have included state revenue estimation, state and local taxation issues, federal monetary and fiscal policy implications in Kentucky, and the restructuring of Kentucky's tax system.
- Health Economics - Research on health care reform and its effects on providers, patients, and the public. CBER has helped shape health care reform in Kentucky by examining the effects of rate-setting on the health care system, and studying job lock, or the reduction in job mobility, due to lack of health insurance portability.