Blog Posts
Insight: Economic Development and the American Dream
By: Max Backlund Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. In simpler days, economic development meant adding new jobs and pursuing new tax revenue, but in recent years it has grown to incorporate goals like improving quality of life and upward mobility. For instance, the 2016 Strategic Plan for the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) included this mission statement: […]
Insight: Here’s why data and dialogue are the key to improving equity, diversity and inclusion
By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in the Deseret News Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. Ninety minutes. That’s all it took. I gained a deeper understanding of how data informs an elected official’s thought process regarding racial and ethnic disparities in Utah. He, in turn, reviewed the data and considered how he might incorporate this data into policymaking. Both of us acknowledged the importance[...]
Insight: Characteristics of Utah’s Teleworkers
By: Mallory Bateman Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. […]
Insight: A Tale of Two Utah Tourism Recoveries
By: Jennifer Leaver Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. […]
Insight: Federal Economic Stimulus Efforts
By: Phil Dean Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. Since the Great Depression nearly a century ago, the U.S. Congress and President have used fiscal policy (taxing and spending powers) and the Federal Reserve has used monetary policy (influencing interest rates through control of the money supply) in an attempt to counteract economic declines. Over the past year, both fiscal and monetary policy tools[...]
Insight: 2020 Census Apportionment Data Released
By Mallory Bateman Today the first statistical release from the 2020 census was made public. This release includes the apportionment population and resident population counts for the nation and each state. 331,449,281 people lived in the United States on April 1, 2020 (resident population). […]
Insight: Broadband, Blues, and Beer – Creating Connectivity for the Rural Teleworker
By: Meredith King Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. […]
Insight: COVID-19 Care Delays: Slowly Returning to Normal?
By: Laura Summers Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. One year ago, we were hit with the reality of living in a world with a spreading, unknown disease. We watched as other countries and states struggled with overwhelmed hospitals and health systems. Our local systems made decisions in response that would allow them to maintain capacity for critically ill patients, limit the spread of[...]
Insight: Updated 2020 Census and Population Projections Timeline
By: Mallory Bateman With the start of April, the countdown has begun to the initial statistical release of apportionment data from the Census Bureau by April 30. This release includes a total population number for each state, which is the basis for allocating congressional seats each state receives in Washington, D.C. While in a traditional year without the impacts of a global pandemic this data would have been released this past December, COVID-19 created hurdles in data collection and analysis, requiring an extended deadline. […]
Insight: The Freeze in Texas
By: Tom Holst Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. The February winter storm that blanketed snow on the U.S. put a spotlight on our nation’s electricity grid. While the grid functioned in surrounding states, it failed in Texas, causing 4 million households to go without power and many to lose access to safe drinking water. […]