Areas of Expertise
Paul R. Flora focuses on the issues and challenges of regional economies. As director of regional economic analysis of the Bank’s Research Department, he develops strategies to produce new research that seeks to better understand the theories and practical realities of regional economic growth. Paul oversees the researchers responsible for generating two of the Bank’s surveys, the Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey and the Nonmanufacturing Business Outlook Survey, and the state coincident indexes, among other regional products. Paul also prepares Philadelphia's Beige Book, a qualitative assessment of current economic conditions in the Third District, released ahead of each Federal Open Market Committee meeting.
Before joining the Bank in 2009, Paul was the regional economist at PNC Bank Corp. for nine years and a fiscal analyst and principal planner for the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission in Florida. He also worked as an associate editor on the editorial board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and as an adjunct professor of regional economics and urban studies at the University of Pittsburgh, in addition to gaining regional planning experience in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
One highlight of Paul’s prior work in regional planning was the creation of the Fiscal Impact Estimates of Land Development (FIELD) model. FIELD was honored within the planning profession for its on-the-fly fiscal policy analysis, among other features. Designing FIELD drew upon Paul’s knowledge of regional economics, urban land use, real estate development, demographics, and state and local fiscal policies.
Paul holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Pittsburgh, a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the College of William & Mary.