Planner's Notebook: Electronic Spreadsheets in Planning The Case of Shiftshare Analysis

Abstract

Abstract This article demonstrates how microcomputer-based spreadsheets can be used for local economic analysis. Using Lotus 1-2-3 the author develops a shiftshare model of employment changes in Providence County, Rhode Island, for 1976-82. The article analyzes such changes graphically and demonstrates the “what-if” capabilities of spreadsheets by producing alternate employment forecasts. A final analysis shows how spreadsheets can be used to decompose local industry employment changes into “inter-firm” and “intra-firm” components. Summary By simplifying data entry and routine calculation procedures, electronic spreadsheets such as Lotus 1-2-3, Multiplan, and SuperCalc3 open up new analytical frontiers to planning professionals and interested citizens. One such frontier is in the area of local economic analysis. Given a working knowledge of how to use a spreadsheet, the types of analyses suggested in this article—essential for economic development planning and forecasting—can be undertaken in as little as...