Our Foundation
Built on Four Pillars
PIAI combines adaptive capacity, economic principles, and behavioral psychology to help municipalities adapt and thrive in changing economic environments.
PIAI combines adaptive capacity, economic principles, and behavioral psychology to help municipalities adapt and thrive in changing economic environments.
"What a society spends money on matters. When it spends on investment items that yield productivity and income gains, it makes for a better future than when it spends on consumption items that don't raise productivity and income."
"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most adaptable to change."
For municipalities that prioritize the community members' health and well-being, effort and energy expended by community leaders should be invested in activities that enhance the ability of members as a group to adapt.
The economic condition of a town's residents is a reflection of the municipality's ability and willingness to adapt. We use that as the scale on which every decision is weighed: what does this do to the community's capacity to adapt, now and in the years ahead?
"Without a doubt, the best capital to invest in is human capital. All good investments come from people who are productive. And the best places to invest are those that have environments that enable those people to be productive."
PIAI helps towns with already-existing opportunities harness them in innovative ways. By recognizing the value of natural resources and putting energy towards harnessing them, communities create environments that support productivity and overall wellbeing.
Towns should prioritize lots based on their expected capacity to contribute to the whole, which will improve the entire community's ability to compete in a changing economic environment.
"The worst thing I can be is the same as everybody else."
Understanding human behavior is critical to successful economic development. We recognize that emotions, biases, and psychological patterns significantly influence decision-making at both individual and community levels.
By harnessing data and creating clear frameworks, we help communities overcome emotional barriers to change and make decisions that benefit the whole.
"The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men."
Good communication is key to improving or maintaining relationships. This is also true for municipalities. Transparency between leaders and community members increases confidence and optimizes decisions for the whole.
Clear communication and a prioritization for hearing all voices within the crowd allows the community to work together towards a common shared goal.
The standard binds us as well. Every figure we publish carries its source and its assumptions, so a board can check the arithmetic instead of taking it on faith. Analysis nobody can audit is advocacy wearing a spreadsheet.
A framework is only worth something if it changes what a town actually does on a Tuesday night at a selectboard meeting. Here is where each pillar lands.
Every year of delay has a price. We put that price on a chart, next to the cost of acting, so the two can be compared honestly rather than argued about.
See the model →Every lot is ranked by what it could contribute against what it does contribute. The gap between the two is the working list.
What we do →Residents who are shown the numbers become the project's most durable support. Residents who are asked to trust a conclusion do not.
Decisions, dollars and the reasoning behind them are published where residents can follow them, so the town is reviewed by the people it serves rather than trusted on its word.
These four pillars work together to create a complete framework for municipal economic development. By understanding how communities adapt (adaptive capacity), what drives economic success (economic principles), and how people make decisions (behavioral psychology), we create strategies that work in the real world.
Adaptive capacity defines what success looks like: adaptable communities.
Economic principles guide our approach to maximizing value and competitive advantage.
Human psychology insights ensure our strategies work with people, not against them.