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Brief History
In November 2002, Nancy Rauch Douzinas, president of the Rauch Foundation, convened a small group of Long Island’s civic, academic, labor and business leaders to discuss challenges facing the Long Island region and potential catalysts for new direction. The group continued to expand and within a few months formed an Advisory Committee to identify key goals for the region and develop plans for what would become the Long Island Index. The goal of these reports is to chart how we are doing on an annual basis and to ensure that the data provided is useful, unbiased information that will lead to greater community awareness of Long Island issues and to serve as a catalyst for action.
Indicator projects, such as this one, have worked in addressing similar challenges in many other places – Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Jacksonville, Silicon Valley – and we believe that this process has worked here as well. Our hypothesis is: Good information presented in a neutral manner can move policy.
Specifically, the Long Island Index:
- Measure where we are at this moment and measure our progress over time toward shared goals, and compare our regional condition and progress to other regions.
- Encourage regional thinking. The information is presented from a regional perspective and offers a picture of the current conditions on Long Island. The reasons why these conditions exist are not given nor are any specific prescriptions made for what can be done to address the conditions.
- Inspire action to achieve shared goals. There are already many capable organizations on Long Island working on parts of the regional agenda. It is hoped that the Index will generate debate, discussion and action through greater collaboration and new coalitions.
The governing board of the Long Island Index is the Advisory Committee, composed of leaders from Long Island’s business, labor, academic and nonprofit sectors.
The research for each of the reports is completed by a Technical Committee comprised of experts from key institutions and organizations with in-depth knowledge in the indicators and studies they are completing.
The first Long Island Index was launched on February 12, 2004 and had a substantial impact on public dialogue. By year’s end, the Index had been cited in over one hundred newspaper articles, three radio shows and 11 television programs, as well as by numerous public officials and civic leaders. The Index website received 1.2 million hits.
The 2005 Index sought to emphasize the interrelatedness among indicators. In particular, a Special Analysis examined land use on Long Island, describing the many ways that land use impacts housing, employment, transportation, the environment and even the very character of our communities.
The 2006 Index emphasized Long Island as a region: comparable to others, similar to some, unique in many ways. The report looked at where we are succeeding competitively and particularly, where we still face significant challenges. Housing costs and taxes, in particular, stood out as onerous issues.
The current Index report was launched January 26, 2007 and paid particular attention to how several indicators, particularly the economy, housing, education and health, impacted different socio-economic groups within the region. Looking to go beyond averages, the Index sought to understand the region’s future from multiple perspectives.