Riding The Real Estate Wave Along Maine's Coast, Ryan Swanson

Maine Policy Review

A review of Maine's coastal real estate market that explores the reason why the area is so appealing, to whom, and what that means.

The Role Of Aquatourism In Sustaining Maine’S Working Waterfronts, Caroline Paras, Tracy S. Michaud

Maine Policy Review

Maine tourism relies heavily on the iconic imagery of working waterfronts, including harbors bobbing with lobster boats surrounded by shingled shacks in a rainbow of buoys. Adapted from agritourism, aquatourism is an experience that engages visitors with the landscape and stories of those who fish. According to the literature on the Experience Economy, the emotions generated by such experiences can translate into sales in real time as well as behavioral intentions to purchase in the future. What role can aquatourism play in sustaining working waterfronts? Using a mixed methods approach, this research study utilizes interviews from both producers and consumers …

Reducing Plastic Pollution In The Ocean: Mycobuoys As A Potential Solution, Sue S. Van Hook

Maine Policy Review

Natural mushroom mycelium-based MycoBuoys are an alternative to ubiquitous plastic flotation devices used in Maine aquaculture, fisheries and harbors. They fit perfectly into a circular economic model where natural resources are borrowed for a specific purpose and are returned as elements at the end of product life. MycoBuoys may be composted or used as mulch where 100% of the material enhances soil nutrients upon decomposition. In contrast to this cradle-to-cradle product, currently ubiquitous Stryofoam buoys have expensive end life costs in terms of ecosystem and organismal health consequences. Styrene is a known carcinogen, and the foam particles degrade into smaller …

Examining The Experiences Of Small, Independent Grocers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jamie Picardy, Lisa Luken, Iris Michaud, Martha Lefebvre

Maine Policy Review

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed existing vulnerabilities across various sectors of the economy and society. Disruptions to the food chain have been common during the pandemic, resulting in empty shelves at grocery stores and modifications to consumer culture. Within this study, we examined resilience (characterized by flexibility, diversity, redundancy, adaptability, innovation, self-reliance and infrastructure) of small, independent grocery stores in Maine.

Sustainability Of Maine’S Emerging Wine Industry, Michaela Murray, Mark Haggerty, Stephanie Welcomer

Maine Policy Review

Consumers, businesses and business sectors, and policymakers are increasingly concerned with sustainability, and the global wine industry has long acknowledged concerns about the social, environmental, and economic sustainability of their industry. Several wine regions, including France, Australia, and South Africa, have developed workbooks and policies for sustainable wine production, but Maine’s emerging wine industry has yet to explore the concept of sustainability as it relates to its operations. In this project, designed in collaboration with the Maine Winery Guild, we interviewed the owners of 10 Maine wineries and analyzed how they define and enact sustainability along with the obstacles they …

Older Workers At L.L.Bean, Wendy Estabrook

Maine Policy Review

Wendy Estabrook reviews L.L.Bean’s policies and practices that support older workers, and employees of all ages, through flexible schedules, generous leave policies, its Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and specific educational offerings for retirement planning.

The Role Of Foundation Grantmakers In Responding To Community Aging: John T. Gorman Foundation, Tony Cipollone

Maine Policy Review

Tony Cipollone of the John T. Gorman Foundation responds to a series of questions about the role of grantmakers in responding to community aging.

The Role Of Foundation Grantmakers In Responding To Community Aging: Maine Health Access Foundation, Wendy J. Wolf

Maine Policy Review

Wendy J. Wolf of the Maine Health Access Foundation responds to a series of questions about the role of grantmakers in responding to community aging.

The Role Of Foundation Grantmakers In Responding To Community Aging: Maine Community Foundation, Meredith Jones

Maine Policy Review

Meredith Jones of the Maine Community Foundation responds to a series of questions about the role of grantmakers in responding to community aging.

The Other Maine Guides: How The Humanities Create Sense Of Place And Enrich Tourism, Kreg Ettenger

Maine Policy Review

When we speak of a “sense of place,” we often mean how local residents see their environment and their place within it. But for many visitors, their sense of place about the sites they visit has more to do with what they have read or seen or heard than what they have actually experienced. Cultural tourists in particular are often well versed in the literature, art, music, and other creative works produced about, in, or by people who are from the places they choose to visit. This sense of place drives their travel choices and feeds their expectations of what …

Finding Untapped Opportunities In Forests, Linda Silka

Maine Policy Review

Opportunities for innovation in forests in Maine and elsewhere are discussed, including forest bioproducts research at the University of Maine.

Maine’S Innovation Prospects: What The Research Can Tell Us, Linda Silka

Maine Policy Review

The innovation literature suggests Maine faces a number of challenges. This overview article discusses this literature, noting how recent findings about boundary spanning point to the importance of both individual skills and group collaboration in innovation. It highlights the implications for policies that could jumpstart innovation, noting the importance of looking to history, looking across topics, looking across disciplines, looking to other states, and looking to other countries to avoid becoming too short-sighted and parochial in approaches.

Economic And Technological Innovation In Maine Before The Twentieth Century: Complex, Uneven, But Pervasive And Important, Howard P. Segal

Maine Policy Review

Maine had a long history of economic and technological innovation which began long before it became a state in 1820. Over the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, woolen mills, shoe factories, paper mills, hydroelectric power and utilities, and other components of mainstream America’s industrial and commercial revolutions became key parts of most Mainers’ daily lives. This article argues that the blue highway signs one passes on entering Maine—Maine: The Way Life Should Be—conceal much of Maine’s actual past and present, especially its rich and complex history of innovation.

An Emerging Model Of Innovation For Maine, Renee Kelly

Maine Policy Review

The state of Maine began making significant investments in research and development in the late 1990s, aligning those investments with industry sectors that drew upon the state’s traditional strengths as well as emerging industries such as biotechnology. This strategy was largely built upon the cluster theory of economic development, which can be challenging to implement in rural areas, in part because of their less dense social networks. This paper suggests that developing more efficient social networks will build stronger clusters and make rural areas more successful in innovation, and presents the Blackstone Accelerates Growth initiative as an emerging model for …

Transforming Maine’S Economy: Innovation And Entrepreneurship Policy, Catherine Searle Renault

Maine Policy Review

Innovation and entrepreneurship are major drivers of economic growth. Support for them is a primary role of state government in order to increase the well being of its citizens through the provision of well-paying jobs that cannot be easily exported. Today, the state’s role is described as “enhancing the innovation ecosystem,” with the goal of increased productivity, innovation and competitiveness. Policies to build the ecosystem include: (1) building and supporting a state’s research and development capacity; (2) encouraging a state’s entrepreneurial community, (3) increasing the productivity of a state’s economy though the commercialization of new products, services, processes, business models …

Research, Innovation, And Commercialization At The University Of Maine, James S. (Jake) Ward Iv

Maine Policy Review

This paper presents the University of Maine’s accomplishments through its use of state R&D funds.

State Investment In University Research And Commercialization: What Is Measurable And What Is Meaningful?, Kris Burton

Maine Policy Review

There are serious challenges in measuring the impact of universities on their state economies and in measuring the return on investment in universities by state legislatures. This article discusses the metrics currently used in looking at societal investment in research and the commercialization of research results. It asks if more meaningful metrics are needed, and if so, are they possible to obtain?

Do We Have The Workforce Skills For Maine’S Innovation Economy?, John Dorrer

Maine Policy Review

A convergence of economic and demographic forces is shaping a set of formidable challenges for Maine. This article describes how a workforce with superior skills is the key to economic growth and innovation. Over the last five decades, skill requirements have changed dramatically for most workers with the shift from goods-producing to service industries. While much has been done in reforming K-12, post secondary, and adult education systems to accommodate the changing Maine economy, it is not enough More innovation and adaptation will be required from policymakers, institutional leaders, employers and Maine people themselves.

Interview With Doug Hall On The Role Of Training In Innovation, Margo Lukens, Doug Hall

Maine Policy Review

In this interview, Doug Hall gives his current thinking on the teaching of innovation and the urgency for doing so. Hall has been working in the field of innovation for most of his career. He has served as partner and mentor in the University of Maine’s program which offers an Innovation Engineering minor open to undergraduate students in any major and a certificate for graduate students. Hall says that “the world of the guru is done” and that “companies, colleges, and countries need to empower their people to lead the transformation from the inside out.”

Farming’S Future Depends On Continued Innovation, John Piotti

Maine Policy Review

Farming is on the upswing in Maine, with many innovative practices and institutions described in this article.

Natural Advantages Are Key To Achieving A Vibrant Innovation Ecosystem In Maine, David J. Kappos

Maine Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Innovation Engineering, Brianna Hughes, Kathryn Smith

Maine Policy Review

A graduate and an undergraduate student reflect on their experiences in the University of Maine’s Innovation Engineering program.

R&D: Cornerstone Of The Knowledge Economy, Evan Richert

Maine Policy Review

Maine has made progress toward achieving the goals set out 13 years ago in the State Planning Office’s publication “30 and 1000.” That publication projected that if 30 percent of the state’s adults had at least four-year degrees and if businesses, academia, and government were spending $1,000 per employed worker on research and development, Maine’s per capita income would reach the national average. The state still has a ways to go. Today it is estimated that the R&D threshold is about $1,600 per employed worker. Business will need to nearly double its effort to reach its share of the goal. …

The Distributional Effects Of Recent Changes To Maine’S Tax System, Joel Johnson

Maine Policy Review

Both classical economic theory and recent empirical research support the notion that taxes should be progressive: that the wealthiest citizens should pay a larger share of their income in taxes than the middle class, and the middle class should pay a larger share of their income in taxes than the poor. Like every other state in the U.S., Maine’s state and local tax system is not progressive, or even proportional with respect to income, but regressive. This article summarizes recent changes to income, sales, and property taxes that have made Maine’s state and local tax system more regressive.

Book Publishers And Libraries: Historic Partners Facing A Disruptive Technology, Tom Allen

Maine Policy Review

The explosion of digital materials and e-readers has disrupted the historic partnership between book publishers and libraries. Tom Allen explains that the new business models required for more widespread e-lending will necessarily involve compromises. He suggests that e-lending pilot projects between individual publishers and libraries are a promising development.

Consumer Support For A Maine Woods Tourism Quality Label, David Vail, Harold Daniel

Maine Policy Review

David Vail and Harold Daniel report findings of a survey of North American vacationers. The survey assessed the strength of interest in quality-labeled Maine vacation experiences and tested consumer willingness to pay a price premium for certified tour “products.” The survey revealed that nearly four out of ten leisure travelers are responsive to the benefits promised by quality-labeled vacation experiences. The authors also describe steps communities, businesses, and state tourism leaders can take toward developing a Maine Woods quality label.

New Foods For Thought: Maine Food Producers Add Value Through Innovation, Betsy Bieman

Maine Policy Review

This short article discusses how the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) is contributing to the state’s value-added food cluster.

On Slow Money, Linzee Weld

Maine Policy Review

This short article discusses “Slow Money,” a call to people to invest in local farms and food-related businesses. Slow Money Maine (SMM).is a network providing a means for individuals to connect to grow and strengthen individual businesses and provide support for start-ups.

Micmac Farms: From Community Garden To Four-Season Farm And Retail Outlet, Jane Caulfield

Maine Policy Review

This short case study describes how Maine’s Micmac tribe is developing “Micmac Farms” from a community garden to a four-season agricultural business.

Crown O’Maine Organic Cooperative, Leah Cook

Maine Policy Review

The article describes how Crown O’Maine Organic Cooperative has grown from a small venture marketing one Aroostook County family farm’s potatoes to a statewide distribution company for organic foods