Lexington, Ky. - Kentucky's economy will see only slight improvement in 2011; the Commonwealth's poverty rate has been increasing at a faster pace than that of most other states; and there remains a stark "digital divide" in Kentucky, based on income, education, race and age.
These are some of the findings of the 39th Annual Economic Report released by the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER), which is headquartered in the Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky.
The report is one of the ways CBER, the applied economic research branch of the Gatton College, fulfills a mission mandated by state law to examine various aspects of the Kentucky economy. CBER performs research projects for federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as for private-sector clients nationwide.
"Our goal is to inform policymaking through research and analysis on the current status of factors affecting Kentucky's economy, yet a common theme tying these articles together is their forward-looking perspectives," said Ken Troske, Sturgill Endowed Professor of Economics, chair of the economics department and director of CBER.
Key findings in the report include:
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Because of continuing problems in the housing sector, Kentucky's economic growth in 2011 will likely be only slightly better than 2010 economic growth.
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Kentucky's poverty rate began increasing even before the 'Great Recession' and in recent years has increased at a faster rate than nearly every other state.
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Current trends suggest that by one educational measure, performance on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), Kentucky will rank among the states in 2020 exactly where it does today - 32nd.
However, narrowing the academic achievement gap by one quarter could improve Kentucky's rank to 20th, while narrowing it by half could move Kentucky to 11th by 2020.
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Dual enrollment, a program that enables high school students to take college courses for credit, could help the state achieve its goal of increasing the number of degree holders.
However, dual enrollment in Kentucky serves more as an accelerated vocational and technical school program than it does as a springboard into college.
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Oral health has an important impact on one's overall health and wellness.
While trends show improving oral health among Kentucky adults, the trend line of improving dental health could be affected by an aging dental workforce and the supply of dentists in some regions of the state.
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Federal health care reform could have a huge impact in Kentucky, given the size of the state's uninsured population-626,000 citizens or nearly 15 percent of the total population.
However, budget constraints and court challenges create considerable uncertainty over its future impact.

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An increasing number of Kentucky households have broadband, but more progress is possible and necessary.
There is a stark digital divide in Kentucky on the basis of income, education, race, and age.
Representing a diverse group of organizations, the authors of the articles in the CBER report come from the Council on Postsecondary Education, the Council of State Governments, the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, and UK.
Digital copies of CBER's 2011 Annual Economic Report can be obtained at the CBER website at http://cber.uky.edu; by calling 859-257-7675; or, by sending an e-mail to cber@uky.edu.