An Evaluation Model to Determine the Return on Public Investment (ROPI) for the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation

Abstract

Researchers at the Institute for Public Policy and Business Research have created a system of Cost-Benefit Analysis for evaluating programs, projects, and agencies administered through the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC). The research and development of the model was initiated by KTEC for the purpose of guiding KTEC activities at the planning and implementation stages so that these activities can most effectively support the overall goals of economic development efforts in the state of Kansas. This report describes a pilot implementation of this model in the form of a computerized system. It also describes future plans for an extension of this system which would evaluated KTEC activities after the fact. The pilot system leads to an ex ante (forecasting) evaluation rather than an ex post (retrospective) assessment of results. The system determines the economic development impact of a given program, project, or agency by using a measurement referred to as Anticipated Return on Public Investment (A-ROPI).