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.
A Time to Build: Physical, Human, and Social Capital (Presentation)
Now is a time to build - both in our businesses and in our community. Growth means we must invest in physical capital. Structural changes mean we must invest in human capital.
Insight: Birds, Limes, and the Last-Mile Problem
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™. Jun 11, 2021 – Salt Lake City has always embraced innovative transportation planning. The city’s founders created a 130-foot-wide State Street, double the width of streets in Manhattan and San Francisco. More than a century later, FrontRunner, TRAX, the S-Line, and buses had pre-pandemic annual ridership of 44 million. FrontRunner will receive $350 million to[...]
Insight: A Note on Utah’s Vacant Housing Stock
By: Dejan Eskic 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™. […]
Insight: Economic Development and the American Dream
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™. May 20, 2021 – In simpler days, economic development meant adding new jobs and pursuing new tax revenue, but in recent years it has grown to incorporate goals like improving quality of life and upward mobility. For instance, the 2016 Strategic Plan for the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) included this mission statement:[...]
Insight: Here’s why data and dialogue are the key to improving equity, diversity and inclusion
By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in the Deseret News 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™. May 13, 2021 – Ninety minutes. That’s all it took. I gained a deeper understanding of how data informs an elected official’s thought process regarding racial and ethnic disparities in Utah. He, in turn, reviewed the data and considered how he might incorporate this data into policymaking. Both of[...]
Insight: A Tale of Two Utah Tourism Recoveries
By: Jennifer Leaver 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™. […]
Diversity in Utah: Race, Ethnicity, and Sex Data Book
This report provides data and information to help state and community leaders make progress in their equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts. Gov. Spencer Cox’s One Utah Roadmap, the Utah Legislature’s policies to extend opportunity to all, and business and community leaders’ Utah Compact on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion provide three significant examples in the past year of Utah’s commitment. The data and context provided in this report shed light on existing disparities; help people understand the complexities of these measures; and help provide a starting point for evaluating future progress.
Diversity in Utah: Race, Ethnicity, and Sex Data Book (Analysis in Brief)
Utah ranks as the 34th most racially and ethnically diverse state in the nation, with 22% of the state identifying as other than non-Hispanic White. This places Utah’s racial/ethnic diversity just below Pennsylvania and above several larger states like Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin. Utah’s minority share of the population is expected to increase to one in three Utahns by 2060.
Diversity in Utah: Race, Ethnicity, and Sex Data Book (Presentation Slides)
Utah ranks as the 34th most racially and ethnically diverse state in the nation, with 22% of the state identifying as other than non-Hispanic White. This places Utah’s racial/ethnic diversity just below Pennsylvania and above several larger states like Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin. Utah’s minority share of the population is expected to increase to one in three Utahns by 2060.
Market Assessment: Air Quality / Changing Climate Solutions Laboratory
The redevelopment of the Utah State Prison property in Draper, Utah, presents a significant opportunity for a generational investment in Utah’s economic future. Of the 600 acres at the prison site, a portion is being considered for a university-led innovation district that solves difficult challenges and creates high quality jobs in Utah. One of these challenges, and a platform for future innovation, is air quality and a changing climate