February 15, 2012_Illinois faces a difficult and complex set of public policy issues, ranging from rapidly changing demographics within the state’s population to a very precarious fiscal position and the need to improve an educational system that prepares new generations to lead the state. IGPA's The Illinois Report 2012 seeks to provide current policymakers with informed, non-partisan research and analysis to help them confront these and other issues. The Illinois Report 2012 is the sixth annual issue of the IGPA publication.

“Our state’s leaders frequently turn to IGPA for reliable, non-partisan research on the state’s most pressing issues,” said IGPA Director Robert F. Rich. “The Illinois Report 2012 provides a central portal to the information that will help decision makers find solutions to the state’s long-term challenges.”

The Illinois Report 2012 provides a unique collection of research and analysis that is intended to create a well-rounded representation of the challenges to come in 2012. The report includes research and analysis from members of the IGPA faculty on the university’s Urbana-Champaign and Chicago campuses, as well as analysis from other university experts.

Highlights include:

· Analysis of the 2010 United States Census and leading demographic research with seven lessons about how population change is affecting the state

· An in-depth look at challenges associated with the 33 percent increase in the Illinois Latino population that occurred over the past decade

· Projections of the state budget over time under several policy options

· A new model for transparency in state budgeting

· A snapshot of the state’s health care performance across regions

· Context and analysis of current proposals to reform public pension policy

· A discussion of the paradigm shift occurring in early childhood education around a concept known as “playful learning”

· An in-depth essay on ways in which the state’s universities create economic growth.

The full report, including a PDF download, video interviews with authors, and an infographic illustrating how policies affect the state’s deficit, are available at igpa.uillinois.edu/IR12.