ESI Blog: Present Value
Present Value was created as a platform for sharing ideas, discussing our interests and improving connections with our community. Each week, we invite guest contributors from the ranks of our senior advisors, industry experts, and thought leaders.
Every year, several publications put forth lists of fit and healthy cities. Each publication combines a certain set of metrics to generate their lists. In looking at a sample of different healthiest and fittest city rankings published in 2015 and 2016, one thing is abundantly clear – three cities dominate the top spots: Minneapolis, MN, […]
As the summer winds down, the team at ESI must say goodbye to its current group of interns. These brilliant young men and women have diligently supported our projects and work, but now it’s time for them to return to school and continue learning and exploring every opportunity available. However, before they depart, we sat down to […]
Choosing a College Major We live in a knowledge economy where education is one of the most important factors in determining one’s future. Education incurs huge costs, both in terms of time and money, but given that an estimated 15.6 million students[1] were enrolled as undergraduates as of Spring 2016, it is an investment that […]
The massive political tides have come and gone. Although the RNC and DNC are now officially over, the conversations around each event have not faded, and many are still weighing in on the relative successes of each convention, as well as the impact they have made in their host cities. “Convention tourism” is a big […]
In September 2015, the Washington Post wrote the obituary for “America’s fading car culture” entitled “Cruising toward Oblivion,” [i] echoing a June 2013 New York Times piece entitled “The End of Car Culture” which declared that, “America’s love affair with its vehicles seems to be cooling.” So imagine my surprise when I recently scrolled over […]
In recent years, there has been an increased focus on racial inequality and decreasing racial disparities in the US. In Philadelphia and other major cities, many disparities between racial and ethnic groups – particularly wealth and asset disparities, disparities in public goods and services (including public education) and disparities in health outcomes, can be directly […]
Over the past forty years, legislation has been enacted at the federal, state, and local levels to regulate the banking industry and protect individuals against unfair lending practices. As a result of the Great Recession, financial and housing markets have experienced significant distress, making efforts towards oversight and accountability of particular value. To support this […]
A number of years ago I commented in an op-ed that Philadelphia, center of one of the largest metropolitan economies in the world, seemed to be “America’s largest little engine that couldn’t” and our standard line was, “We aren’t big enough to support this”. While we were a big city, we thought small. Although this […]
After stressful work weeks during these brutally hot summer months, we all deserve an excuse to sit back, relax, and enjoy some thought-provoking and entertaining reads. This upcoming 4th of July weekend is the time to celebrate with family and friends and finally catch-up on compelling articles and blog posts. Whether you are spending this […]
As I was heading to the Copa American Centenario soccer match at Lincoln Financial Field on June 11, 2016, I began to wonder how soccer in the U.S., in particular, international tournaments and exhibition matches, has generated significant spending from the immigrant and international communities in the U.S. There is no doubt that large sporting […]