Public Policy
The Gardner Institute provides data-driven, context-specific insights about public policy in Utah. We prepare in-depth quantitative and qualitative studies on key Utah issues in partnership with private-sector stakeholders and state and local government. Our research provides vital information decision-makers and the public use to help Utah prosper.
The Connection between COVID-19 and Type 2 Diabetes: Underscoring the Need for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management
Research increasingly shows that individuals with type 2 diabetes face a greater chance of experiencing severe complications from COVID-19.
Insight: What Goes Up Must Come Down? The Muddled Post-Pandemic Inflation Picture
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™. 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). […]
Insight: Public-Private Partnerships for Public Purpose
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™. […]
A Visual Guide to Tax Modernization in Utah: User Fees
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[...]
Insight: Utah’s Uninsured Population May Look Different After the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Ends
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 thought that struck me as I was preparing for a recent meeting was how the characteristics of Utah’s uninsured population may have changed over the last year and a half―and how we don’t yet know what Utah’s uninsured population will look like until the public health emergency ends. This is due to several federal[...]
Insight: Public Asset Development in Utah
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™. 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 increasing non-tax revenues, let’s[...]
Insight: The Little Engine that Could
By: Thomas 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™. Shareholder pressure is forcing a global oil and gas company to reduce its carbon footprint. […]
Policy Brief: Public Asset Development in Utah
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.”
Fact Sheet: Outdoor Recreation and Utah Business
Utah’s tech sector is the fastest growing industry in the state while offering well-paying jobs that often encourage a healthy work-life balance. Access to year-round outdoor recreation is the most important factor to tech employees when deciding to locate or stay in Utah. A companion study of Utah businesses found the outdoor lifestyle helps with locating and expanding operations in Utah, employee recruitment and retention, and the desirability to do business in the state.
Insight: Economic Development Needs to Address Wealth Generation
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 a previous blog post I outlined some of the challenges Utah faces if we want to use economic development to address issues like upward mobility and the American Dream. The decline of the American Dream is well documented, and based in two trends: lower growth rates for Gross Domestic Product and greater inequality in[...]