Blog Posts
Insight: New Energies Fueled by Technology
By: Thomas Holst Salt Lake City was recently named as a “Solar Star” based on the number of megawatts of solar energy used per capita compared to 70 other U.S. cities. This honor signals a willingness amongst Salt Lake City homeowners to make a front-end investment, often in the tens of thousands of dollars, in order to gain both a better environment and achieve homeowner energy independence. […]
Insight: Utah’s GDP Growth: a story of consistent recovery
By: John Downen The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis maintains statistics on the composition and performance of the nation’s and the states’ economies. The BEA recently released 2017 numbers for gross domestic product (GDP) by state. GDP is the most common measure of an area’s economic output and measures the value of goods and services produced in a region minus the cost of the goods and services used in the production process. Looking at Utah’s growth both recently and since the end of the Great Recession gives us a good idea of the rise of some industries and the decline[...]
Insight: Time for the northern Utah economy to come alive
By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in the Deseret News The Utah economy continues to impress. Utah job growth registers an impressive 3.5 percent, the fastest job growth in the country and nearly twice the national average of 1.6 percent. Utah’s job growth, combined with low unemployment, rising wages and net in-migration, makes for the hottest economy in the nation right now. […]
Insight: My NBA Lament
By: James Wood I still love the game but I’ve lost a little love. As a NBA fan for 60 years and a Jazz season ticket holder for 39 years I’ve watched my share of games; over 1,600 Jazz home games. I’ve seen the game evolved with rule changes and players skills. Today’s game is not nearly as physical. No Karl Malone with his back to the basket or John Stockton fighting hand-checking from mid-court. The game is much faster now with a premium on guards rather than centers or power forwards. On offense it’s perimeter shooters and on defense[...]
Insight: Travel & Tourism Employment: Not all jobs are created equal
By: Jennifer Leaver In the early 1990s, I spent three summers living and working in Moab, Utah. At the time, Moab was transitioning from a uranium boomtown/ranching community to a thriving tourism economy. Located between two national parks (Arches and Canyonlands) and bordered by the Colorado River, Moab offers limitless outdoor recreation opportunities to adventure-seekers from around the world. While living there, I worked in a variety of coffee shops, restaurants, and retail shops. I had friends that worked as river guides, EMTs, bus drivers, photographers, and recreational outfitters. The perks of working in a tourist town—stunning scenery, ample recreation[...]
Insight: The Jazz are Utah: Looking back on the Jazz wins off the court
By: Jennifer Robinson The Utah Jazz are done playing for the 2017-2018 season, but their impact on the community will last all year. Thanks to the leadership and values held both on and off the court, Utah’s NBA basketball franchise has garnered a massive following across the state and region, producing a large positive impact for our state. Utah Jazz President Steve Starks joined Natalie Gochnour for May’s Newsmaker Breakfast (watch recording here) to discuss this impact. […]
Insight: International Trade and Utah’s Economic Success
By: Gov. Gary R. Herbert Editor’s note: In this guest blog post, we publish a policy speech delivered by Utah governor Gary Herbert at the 2018 Economic Summit held April 27, 2018 in Salt Lake City. Gov. Herbert shares his views on Utah’s export economy, the importance of free trade, his support of NAFTA (including the need to modernize it), and his concerns about protectionist policies. The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Policy Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help[...]
Insight: Act now to avoid a housing affordability crisis in Utah
By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in the Deseret News. The Utah economy continues to perform. The expansion celebrated its eighth birthday this year, and the federal tax cuts will extend the expansion, which is already the nation’s and state’s second longest ever. These are prosperous times. Every economic expansion party has a host of well-wishers — low unemployment, strong job growth, in-migration and rising incomes bring plastic hats, whistles and gifts to the party. But every party also has the party pooper, the rude uncle who can’t leave well-enough alone. […]
Insight: Utah Housing Affordability: Avoiding a Potential Crisis
By: DJ Benway Since 2010, Utah has led the nation in population and job growth. This growth has put tremendous pressure on our state’s housing market. Every Utahn interacts in some way with the housing market, whether we are renters, homeowners, first-time homebuyers, or none of the above; all Utahns are affected by the housing market. Panelist Dan Lofgren, President and CEO of Cowboy Partners, expressed this sentiment during the Informed Decisions Seminar on housing affordability at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute on Tuesday, May 1. Alongside Lofgren were panelists Clark Ivory, Chief Executive Officer of Ivory Homes, and[...]
Insight: Conservative Utah’s Successful Globalism
By: Randy Shumway Editor’s note: The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute from time to time publishes blogs from thought leaders in our community. The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Policy Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. Like all states in the union, my home state of Utah has benefited tremendously from the effects of globalization and cooperation. Our state and local governments have built a global economic engagement model that expands[...]