Center for Business and Economic Research
The Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER), formerly the Bureau of Business Research, is an economic policy and forecasting research center housed within the Miller College of Business at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, USA. CBER research encompasses health care, public finance, regional economics, transportation, and energy sector studies. In addition to research, CBER serves as the forecasting element in the Muncie area – hosting five state and federal economic forecasting roundtables. History. The Center for Business and Economic Research was founded the late 1960s as the Bureau of Business Research at Ball  State University. The founding was initiated by Dr. Robert P. Bell soon after being hired as the first dean of the College of Business. Dr. Joseph Brown from the University of Georgia became the first director of the bureau. The focus of the bureau was to look for research opportunities and provide faculty with help pursuing those opportunities. Also, focus was placed on using faculty in applied business research. The focus of the center has changed significantly since its inception. An official name change from the Bureau of Business Research to the Center for Business and Economic Research occurred in  2008. Currently, the center works in the community through services of economic policy research, national, state, and local forecasting, and data analysis. Recent studies. CBER regularly releases studies and publications on various topics including health care, public finance, regional economics, transportation, and energy. Publications. American Journal of Business. CBER houses the managing office of the American Journal of Business, a peer-reviewed journal that publishes articles aimed at improving business practices or enhancing instructional efforts through application, transfer, and interpretation of knowledge. Indiana Business Bulletin. CBER also publishes the online publication, Indiana Business Bulletin (IBB). The IBB provides weekly economic  analysis, forecasting, and leading economic indicators to the business community, media, and policymakers.