Pennsylvania Economy League Records 1929-1985

Arrangement

Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Pennsylvania Economy League Records
Creator
Pennsylvania Economy League
Collection Number
AIS.1978.06
Extent
47.5 Linear Feet (38 boxes)
Date
1929-1985
Abstract
The Pennsylvania Economy League is a not-for-profit organization of business and civic leaders who seek the improvement of government and promote economic development in Pennsylvania. Throughout its existence the organization has provided research services to civic and government entities throughout the state. The records found here consist largely of the various studies and reports produced by the organization.
Language
English .
Author
David Rumbelow and Sarita Wescott.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman)
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections

Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Pennsylvania Economy League by Judy Eves on February 28, 1978. Additions were made in 1993.

Arrangement

The Pennsylvania Economy League Records are arranged in the following series:

Series I: School District Reports

Series II: Municipal Government Reports

Series III: County Government Reports

Series IV: State (PA) Wide Reports

Copyright

The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.

Previous Citation

Pennsylvania Economy League Records, 1929-1985, AIS.1978.06, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh

Preferred Citation

Pennsylvania Economy League Records, 1929-1985, AIS.1978.06, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Processing Information

This collection was processed by David Rumbelow and Sarita Wescott in 2013 and 2014.

Related Material

ACTION Housing, Inc. Records, AIS.2001.11, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Allegheny Conference on Community Development Collection, 1944-1993, AIS.1973.04, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Allegheny Conference On Community Development (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Records, 1920-1993, MSS 285, Library and Archives Division, Senator John Heinz History Center

Pittsburgh, Pa. City Planning Commission Records, 1928-1962, AIS.1976.17, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Scope and Content Notes

The Pennsylvania Economy League (PEL) Records consists of reports and studies completed by the organization for various government agencies. The records inventoried in this guide account for about half of the entire collection of records held by the Archives Service Center. Materials not yet inventoried consist of 46 additional records center boxes. The unprocessed records include PEL newsletters, Allegheny County Airport Advisory Committee minutes, and various PEL files from the Harrisburg (Central Division) Office.

History

The Pennsylvania Economic League (PEL) was founded in 1936 by a group of business and civic leaders seeking to improve the quality of government and promote economic development in Pennsylvania. The PEL emphasizes centers on comparative research and policy analysis. Over their many years of service, the PEL has obtained a statewide reputation for objectivity, integrity, and consensus building. While these principles serve as the general guidelines of the PEL, the specific role of the PEL has changed throughout the decades in order to meet the needs of Pennsylvania.

During the years of the Great Depression, the unprecedented strain and responsibilities placed on state and local governments necessitated that the PEL structure and its programs address these new social and economic concerns, especially regarding public expenditures and taxation. Through the remainder of the 1930s, the PEL worked to establish itself as a statewide research organization as well as a fiscal and administrative consultant and an advisor to public officials. It continued to serve in this capacity during and after World War II, though focus eventually shifted away from social concerns and economic needs when pre-war deficits were replaced with surpluses and state and local debts began to stabilize.

After initially being incorporated with the Philadelphia-based Bureau of Municipal Research in 1936 in order to cut spending, the statewide PEL and the Bureau officially merged in 1954 to become the Pennsylvania Economic League – Eastern Division. In addition to its central offices in Philadelphia, the Eastern Division of the League operated county committees in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. During the 1960s and early 1970s, social services programs expanded with the increase of federal dollars, and the Eastern Division continued to focus on cost-effective government service and the competition for industrial expansion and relocation spreading across the nation. During the 1980s and 90s, the Eastern Division began placing more emphasis on comprehensive, long term studies in addition to day-to-day consulting services for state and local governments and other organizations. Taking a more expansive view allowed the Economy League to begin looking at policy concerns in the context of the Greater Philadelphia region, a complex network of local governments, businesses, and civic organizations. In 2000, the Economy League shifted its primary focus to proactively identifying research areas and initiatives benefiting the region as well as to serve as an incubator for new projects and civic organizing, such as the Greater Philadelphia Leadership Exchange. The Eastern Division was incorporated as an independent LLC of the statewide organization, Pennsylvania Economy League, Inc. in 2005 and was renamed Pennsylvania Economy League - Southeastern PA. To better reflect its emphasis on the prosperity of the region, which includes southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and northern Delaware, in January, 2007, the organization changed its name to the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia.

While the Eastern Division was focusing on the economic needs and developments of Southeastern Pennsylvania and the Greater Philadelphia region, the PEL's Western Division focused primarily on the developments of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. During the 1950s, the Western Division played a key role in Pittsburgh's Renaissance, working closely with the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. Additionally, the Western Division's studies and recommendations also resulted in the development of ACTION-Housing, Pittsburgh-based non-profit organization that provides affordable housing and related social services. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the progressive expansion of public functions and programs produced a growing need for larger management consultation services and research projects, which PEL stepped in to provide. It continued to perform day-to-day routine services, but also worked on projects such as the development of the United Way in Allegheny County and the formulation of recommendations that helped to form the Allegheny County Department of Administration.

Western Division efforts during the 1980s and 1990s include the successful promotion of the new Pittsburgh International Airport and efforts to improve of the government of Westmoreland County. In 1982, the Western Division published a two-year study documenting that the City of Pittsburgh was a "regional city with a local tax base" (Pittsburgh acts as a job provider for the whole region while only collecting tax revenue from the city itself). As a result of this finding, in 1993 a PEL report endorsed the idea of a regional asset district funded by a local sales tax, as well as the use of a sales tax as an appropriate substitute for the personal property tax. This local option sales tax was implemented in Allegheny County in 1994. In 2000, the PEL Western Division—now known as the Pennsylvania Economy League of Greater Pittsburgh (PELGP)—entered into a joint venture with the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, and the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA), which brought the four organizations together under a common Chief Executive Officer. The relationship was formalized into a strategic affiliation in 2003, with a single membership, staff, and strategic plan supporting and guiding the activities of all four affiliates under the leadership of the Allegheny Conference's board of directors. The structure plays to the strengths of each organization – the research and analysis expertise of PELGP, the advocacy efforts of the Chamber, and the marketing intelligence capabilities of the PRA. These strengths, guided by private sector leadership, is seen as a model for regional improvement.

The Central Division of the PEL has offices in Wilkes-Barre and Harrisburg that serve central and eastern Pennsylvania, with most work concentrated in Berks County, the Central Penn Area, the Harrisburg Area, the Lehigh Valley, the Northeastern Region, the Lycoming/Clinton Region and York County. The Central Division's primary focus is to provide research, analysis, planning and technical assistance to local governments and school districts.

Currently, the PEL is a non-profit organization financed by memberships from individuals, businesses, associations, institutions and foundations. PEL is chartered under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code as an educational and research organization, and financial support of PEL is tax deductible. In addition to memberships, PEL receives revenue from research services contracted by civic organizations and governmental bodies. The PEL currently has three offices (divisions) across the state—the Central Division, the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, and the Pennsylvania Economy League of Greater Pittsburgh. Each office has its own governance and agenda specific to its region. Despite the relative autonomy of each office, leadership for the entire organization is provided by a statewide Board of Directors.

(Much of this historical sketch was taken directly from the websites of the Pennsylvania Economy League Inc.--Central Division, the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, and the Pennsylvania Economy League of Greater Pittsburgh.)

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Pennsylvania Economy League

    Genres

    • Reports

    Other Subjects

    • Government
    • Education
    • Associations
    • Municipal government
    • School districts -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Transportation

Container List