Blog Posts

By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in Utah Business The New Year is a great time to take stock and learn new things. I am often asked what is the best source for information about the Utah economy. Thanks to a wonderful collaboration between the David Eccles School of Business and the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, you can learn all of the latest and greatest facts about the Utah economy in a single report. The 2015 Economic Report to the Governor, released this month, provides the single best compendium of information about Utah demographics, employment, income, taxes, exports, prices,[...]

By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in Utah Business I serve on the board of Primary Children’s Hospital. At a recent board retreat we heard a compelling presentation about Healthy Utah from David Patton, the executive director of the Utah Department of Health. Healthy Utah is Utah’s alternative to full Medicaid expansion, and Patton is on point for Gov. Gary Herbert. I think the governor has created and negotiated an innovative and elegant policy solution to a difficult and complex policy problem. The Utah Legislature should support the Healthy Utah proposal. At first blush, a children’s hospital board seems like the[...]

By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in the Deseret News Paul Harvey used to end many of his radio broadcasts with the tag line “and now you know the rest of the story.” It was a signal to listeners that every story has a story behind the story and only when you probe a little deeper do you capture the whole truth. The same thing is occurring right now with the Utah state budget. There is a well-deserved but incomplete story about surpluses backed by a strong economy … and then there is the story behind the story. Utah lawmakers keep[...]

By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in Utah Business I apologize for being personal, but I experienced something recently that many Utahns have experienced either personally or as a parent: I dropped my son off at the Provo Missionary Training Center (MTC) to start his volunteer service for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Those who have done this know it is a riveting moment filled simultaneously with joy and sadness. It’s very hard to let go of the people and things you love. It’s also a sacrifice that contributes to Utah’s economic success. Faith preferences and traditions aside,[...]

By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in Utah Business Winston Churchill once said if you put two economists in a room, you get two opinions, unless one of them is Lord Keynes, in which case you get three opinions. It’s a clever way of saying economics is an inexact science, and economists are known for equivocating. But do they also possess a sense of humor? Let’s consider both equivocation and humor and see if there are lessons to be learned. Economic equivocation is standard fare in economics. It happens so much that decisions makers often don’t know whom to trust when[...]

By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in Utah Business We should always walk like one family. We are all in the same cause and need. Together we make up the same future. Alone we are not worth anything. Together, we have great value. – Cesar Chavez If you ever get the chance to interact with Javier Palomarez, take it. Palomarez is the president and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He not only sees the future, but he is also living it as the leader of America’s largest Hispanic business association. Our country’s economy benefits from his vision, hard[...]

By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in Utah Business I love World Cup summers. It’s a time to give your work-a-day life a pause and pay attention to what really matters in life—futbol, or what us yanks like to call soccer. It turns out I’m not alone—far from it. The cumulative viewing audience for the 2014 World Cup will exceed an estimated 5.9 billion people, making it, by far, the world’s most watched sporting event. Get ready for the global GDP to take a temporary hit as human productivity suffers. Here’s one soccer fan and economist who really doesn’t mind. The[...]

By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in the Deseret News You wouldn’t call somebody who just won the lottery “prosperous.” They may be rich and they are certainly lucky, but they are not prosperous. Prosperity has to be earned. On Thursday, Gov. Gary Herbert hosted his annual Utah Economic Summit. Unlike his first year in office when unemployment hovered around 8 percent, Utah’s unemployment rate now stands below 4 percent, a level many economists would call near-full employment. The Utah economy created 32,200 jobs during the past 12 months and nearly every major industry is growing. Utah’s level of income equality[...]

By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in Utah Business “Some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple.” That classic line was made famous by Barry Switzer, the well-known Oklahoma football coach who was raised poor and went on to win a college football championship and the Super Bowl. And while I don’t hold him up as a role model, his famous quote about inequality and hubris hit a chord with me. We are all born into different economic circumstances and income inequality is a problem. What’s interesting is that as income inequality and[...]

By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in the Deseret News Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree. This quip, made by Louisiana Sen. Russell Long, captures Utah’s approach to the motor fuel tax. We’ve been kicking the can down the road for 17 years. It’s time for a serious and informed discussion about raising Utah’s motor fuel tax to make up for lost purchasing power and improved fuel efficiency. I’m not alone in this viewpoint. Several conservative legislators, like Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem, Rep. Jim Nielson, R-Bountiful, and Rep. Johnny Anderson, R-Taylorsville, have proposed changes to[...]