Institute for Development Strategies

Linking resources for economic development

The Institute for Development Strategies (IDS) links faculty resources from various Indiana University departments and integrates them with external projects and research being undertaken at our partner universities and institutes across the world. Our research program serves as a focal point for IU’s intellectual contributions to the economic development field and coordinates related faculty research, seminars, courses, and conferences.

Our goal is to lead the way in providing decision makers in public policy with a framework for formulating, implementing, and evaluating strategies to enhance and sustain the economic performance of their place, albeit a community, city, region, state, or even an entire country.

The IU Board of Trustees established IDS in 1984 as the Regional Economic Development Institute to further research, graduate-level education, and scholarly exchange in the area of economic development and development policy. In 1990, our name changed to the Institute for Development Strategies to more accurately reflect our focus and mission. In 1992, the Ameritech Foundation endowed IU with $1.2 million for the establishment of an Ameritech Chair of Economic Development to serve as director of IDS.