In response to news this afternoon, Feb. 8, that Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana plans to invest $131 million to consolidate its Highlander mid-size SUV production and create up to 400 jobs at its Princeton plant by 2013, here is information from experts at Indiana University Bloomington who can offer additional perspective. Arrangements can be made for live in-studio television interviews.

According to a new report by researchers at the Indiana Business Research Center, the Hoosier state is a prime example of how the Affordable Care Act could place thousands of newly created jobs at risk. The same report also weighs in on the contentious issue of right to work, and supports the assertion that it will hamper Indiana's small firms' ability to create jobs and state efforts to bring in new investment.

The Leading Indicators for Indiana pointed to a recovery that is finally gaining traction, hitting a new post-crisis high in December. The LII jumped from 97.1 to 97.5 -- its highest level since September 2008.

Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie announced today, Jan. 11, that Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded the university a major new $33 million grant to help transform undergraduate facilities at IU's Kelley School of Business in Bloomington.

As Hoosiers look ahead to a new year, the Leading Index for Indiana for November provides some encouraging news. The index has recovered all ground lost in the first part of 2011, and November markes the first time in a year that all five components improved, said Timothy Slaper, director of economic analysis at the Indiana Business Research Center in Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, which compiles the monthly report.

A new Indiana University research project that looked at work outcomes for graduates at all degree levels of the state's public colleges found that the manufacturing industry awarded the highest pay. When it comes to which industry hires the most graduates, however, that honor fell to the educational services industry, followed by the health care services industry.

The Indiana Department of Local Government Finance, in cooperation with the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, has launched the second phase of a new online data collection system and public access website that increases transparency and accessibility of local government finance information for Hoosiers.

As Hoosiers look ahead to the holiday season, the Leading Index for Indiana provided some encouraging news in October.

Indiana University economists presenting their annual forecast today (Nov. 3) expect that the national and state economies will expand somewhat more in 2012 but not enough to make much of a dent in unemployment, thus leading to a continued historically weak recovery.

Beginning Thursday (Nov. 3) in Indianapolis and Bloomington, Indiana University's Kelley School of Business again will present its national, state and local economic forecasts for the coming year.

Just as it did a year ago, the Leading Index for Indiana (LII) gained some traction in September.

According to a new Indiana University research study, those over the age of 25 who even modestly continue their education past high school can expect to receive a notable increase in wages.

Defense spending's impact on the Indiana economy has more than doubled in the past decade. More than 1,100 Hoosier companies were successful in attracting $4.4 billion in contracts from the U.S. departments of Defense (DoD) and Homeland Security (DHS) in 2010, supporting an estimated 38,600 Indiana jobs.

The final piece of a major research project aimed at helping displaced auto workers in Indiana and other Midwest states focuses on how they can be helped to find other career paths and how to best pursue them.

After falling three-tenths of a point in July, the Leading Index for Indiana (LII) for August in effect remained the same at 96.2.

Indiana firms exported $28.7 billion in goods in 2010, which was a new record, according to a new study released by the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.

A new survey of employers found that Indiana has 46,879 jobs that directly can be considered "green." Green jobs -- so defined when the primary occupation leads to generating a firm's green-related products or services -- account for 1.7 percent of the state's total employment.

The Leading Index for Indiana (LII) stumbled in July 2011. After eking out a small gain in June, the LII continued its downward trajectory since the beginning of the year.

The latest 2010 Census data portray a state where the white population is much older than the state's growing minority groups and where home ownership is in retreat, particularly among younger Hoosiers. The data also show that the nature of Indiana families is changing.

The Leading Index for Indiana (LII) edged out a tiny gain in June, after several months of reporting neutral or negative movement.

According to the Leading Index for Indiana (LII) in May, prospects for the state's economic recovery would seem more tenuous.

The latest 2010 census data for Indiana depict a state that is growing older and becoming more diverse, according to the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.

Based on the Leading Index for Indiana (LII), the state's feeble economic recovery will continue through the summer and early fall.

A new report from the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University shows that progress has been made in Indiana regarding the availability of broadband Internet service and identifies the southwest part of the state as an area needing attention.

A new report co-authored by researchers at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, provides a revealing look at the transformation of the auto industry in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio as it emerges from the Great Recession.