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.
Insight: Budgeting for the next downturn
By: Jonathan Ball, Legislative Fiscal Analyst, and Jennifer L. Robinson, Associate Director, Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute One lesson state budget inquisitors can learn from living through two recessions – including one labeled as “great” – is that it is never too soon to start planning for the next one. This is not the result of strategic policy formulation, long-term planning, or some arcane academic theory – it’s simply for self-preservation. Yet, a recent panel on budgeting at the Western Political Science Association, in which we participated with our colleagues from across the West, demonstrated that some states haven’t learned[...]
Utah: Scrabbling for Innovation absent a Crisis
The 2017 Utah legislative session, an intensely busy 45 days, focused heavily on tax reform, funding of public schools, and addressing the state’s homeless crisis. At the conclusion of the session, the FY18 budget totaled $16.2 billion, a seven percent increase over the FY17 budget. Public schools received a large increase in funding—in total a seven percent increase to address student growth and other programs. The discussions about tax reform failed to produce any agreements and will likely be addressed in the 2018 session. Although homelessness was addressed with more than $12 million in funding for new homeless shelters, low-income[...]
Insight: SLC support for Vivint Smart Home Arena makes economic sense
By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in the Deseret News If you are like me, you begin to get excited this time of year for the start of the NBA basketball season and our own Utah Jazz. The Jazz have been busy lately, making personnel moves that will make us a playoff-caliber team. Even more important to the long-term success of the Jazz and downtown Salt Lake City is the $125 million renovation occurring at Vivint Smart Home Arena. I commend the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City for using tax increment financing to support this important investment. […]
Budgeting Insight: A Collaboration of the Western United States
By: Dr. Jennifer Robinson, Ph.D. The California Journal of Politics and Policy publishes, in cooperation with the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, the Western State Budget Reports each year. In these reports, you can read about how Alaska changed the oil tax, how several states have legalized marijuana and the effect on revenue, and what states have yet to recover from the Great Recession. The reports are authored by faculty from 14 universities in the west, representing Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. […]
Revenue Estimating and Budgeting in Utah: A Primer
Kevin G. Walthers, Ph.D.