Education
Issues relating to public education and higher education
Paying the Price: An Assessment of Texas Tuition Deregulation
Size: 246 KB
Year: 07-Jan-2009
In a turbulent economy, the struggle to pay for higher education has become very common among college students pressed for money. Community Scholars set out to determine whether or not the increases in tuition revenue, due to deregulation, were being used to further Texas public universities. A $9.97 billion funding shortfall in 2003 caused the State of Texas to find creative ways to make up for lost funds.
Healthcare
Issues relating to healthcare
CHIP: A Texas ‘Tragedy’ on the Border
Size: 265 KB
Year: 07-Jan-2009
The Children Health Insurance Program is widely used in the El Paso region, which has the potential to grow even more and help uninsured children obtain insurance. In February of 2009, the Obama Administration and the U.S. Congress passed the Children’ s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act.
Infrastructure
Issues relating to transportation, housing, water and other infrastructure needs
Broadband Infrastructure: Moving at the Speed of Light
Size: 205 KB
Year: 07-Jan-2009
Information technology has become an undeniable aspect of modern life since the advent of high-speed Internet. Broadband connections, defined in the United States as a transfer of data at a minimum of 768 kilobits per second, are now integrated in everything from traffic signals to health-care facilities, from corporate headquarters to elementary schools.
Afforable Housing
Issues relating to affordable housing
An Assessment of Fair and Affordable Housing on the Border: Who's Being Locked Out?
Size: 572 KB
Year: 07-Jan-2004
Purchasing a home is usually a person’s biggest and longest life investment. As Larry Garcia, the Executive Director of the El Paso Credit Union Affordable Housing Corporation put it, “owning a home gives a family wealth, economic, social stability.
Workforce Development
Issues relating to workforce development
El Paso’s Cost of Living: Does it Burn a Hole in your Wallet?
Size: 618 KB
Year: 07-Jan-2009
The City of El Paso is often regarded as an area with a low and affordable cost of living. Surveys that determine the local cost of living often only compare the cost in El Paso to other
areas in the nation. A city’ s comparative low cost of living does not necessarily translate into an affordable cost of living for the area citizenry. A 2009 CNN Money article demonstrated this when it ranked El Paso in the top 10 least affordable housing markets in the United States.
Access to Capital
Issues relating to lending and banking
National Sub Prime Market Crash: Is El Paso Living in a Bubble?
Size: 154 KB
Year: 02-Jan-2008
As foreclorsures hit record highs across the nation, it became important to understand why that was not seen in El Paso. The report discusses the current state of the El Paso housing market, as well as predicted future trends.
Individual Reports
Reports done by individual scholars
NAFTA Impact Zone and Economic Development: $45 million will fund job retraining for El Paso
Size: 22 KB
Year: 07-Jan-1998
By: CS Intern, Erin Dominguez
In the four years since NAFTA was enacted the free trade policy has hit El Paso harder than any other city in the nation. Ten thousand workers in El Paso alone have lost their jobs because of NAFTA. To help El Paso cope with this critical problem, the ...
Quality of Life
Issues relating to the quality of life in El Paso and the Paso del Norte region
Self-Sufficiency: Is Public Housing the Key?
Size: 214 KB
Year: 07-Jan-2009
One of the most popular social programs in the United States is public housing, managed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and operated by local public housing authorities and non-governmental organizations. Currently, El Paso has the second-largest housing authority in the State of Texas with a waitlist averaging three to four years. This is mostly a result of the high poverty rates in the city mainly attributable to low education attainment levels and the incessant n
