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Public Finance

The Gardner Institute employs a team of economists who specialize in public finance. We also benefit from a Public Finance Council that guides our research agenda and supports the development of a public finance practice area. Our research focus areas include, but are not limited to: tax policy, revenue forecasting, fiscal impacts, budget stress-testing, budget transparency, and public finance best practices.

2303, 2022

Insight: Are Utah’s Wages Pacing with High Inflation?

March 23rd, 2022|

By Natalie Roney and Phil Dean Mar 23, 2022 – The COVID-19 pandemic and its economic repercussions continue to reverberate throughout the Utah and U.S. economies. In particular, labor shortages and high inflation remain top of mind for many Utahns as a return to “normal” economic conditions remains elusive. This post explores aspects of real (inflation-adjusted) wage indicators. […]

1402, 2022

Utah State Government Growth Presentation

February 14th, 2022|

In 2020, U.S. government expenditures climbed to 31.2% of the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the largest expenditure as a percent GDP since the end of World War II. Such a level of government participation in the nation’s economy alarms some analysts. Has the state of Utah followed a similar trend or is it on its own path.

902, 2022

Utah State Government Growth: Following the Feds or On its Own Path?

February 9th, 2022|

In 2020, U.S. government expenditures climbed to 31.2% of the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the largest expenditure as a percent GDP since the end of World War II. Such a level of government participation in the nation’s economy alarms some analysts. Has the state of Utah followed a similar trend or is it on its own path?

202, 2022

A Visual Guide to Tax Modernization: Understanding Property Taxes

February 2nd, 2022|

Utahns share a common interest in a state and local tax system that provides for our needs, keeps the economy strong, and remains viable over the long term. This visual guide, which is the third in a series, illustrates key components of Utah’s property tax – the oldest and most stable of Utah’s major taxes.

2608, 2021

Insight: What Goes Up Must Come Down? The Muddled Post-Pandemic Inflation Picture

August 26th, 2021|

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™. Aug 26, 2021 – More than any time in recent memory, inflation is a hotly debated economic topic. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) July price change as measured by the seasonally adjusted Consumer Price Index (CPI) shows a 5.3% year-over-year overall increase (5.4% when not seasonally adjusted). […]

1108, 2021

A Visual Guide to Tax Modernization in Utah: User Fees

August 11th, 2021|

The 2020 Census results confirmed what Utah residents already sensed: the Beehive State grew faster than any state in the country over the past decade, more than doubling the national growth rate. Growth brings opportunity, but it also brings challenges, as Utahns need an affordable place to live, water to care for basic needs, roads and other infrastructure to support a rapidly growing economy, clean air to breathe, schools and teachers to develop the workforce, and many other attributes of quality growth. In the coming years, Utah leaders must make significant investments if the state is to continue to prosper[...]

408, 2021

Insight: Public Asset Development in Utah

August 4th, 2021|

By: Max Backlund and Dejan Eskic Note: The opinions expressed are those of the authors 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™. Aug 4, 2021 – Public finance is one of those topics that few people ever plan to research, but here we are writing a blog post about it. And, here you are reading a blog post about it. So, before you read too far along and become enraptured by the idea of[...]

2907, 2021

Policy Brief: Public Asset Development in Utah

July 29th, 2021|

Public asset development rose to national awareness with the publication of The Public Wealth of Cities by Dag Detter and Stephen Fölster in 2017. Detter and Fölster, among others, offer the asset inventorying process as a public finance tool to help public sector organizations – including cities, counties, and any other land-owning public entity – to increase revenue without increasing taxes or public debt. Specifically, Detter and Fölster address assets that are “economic assets or operations that generate non-tax revenue, or could do so if properly structured and used.”