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.
Informed Decisions 2020 Election Brief
In this INFORMED DECISIONS™ election brief, we share insights in three areas of critical concern to Utahns: education funding, housing affordability, and the impact of COVID-19 on Utah’s economy. We will also host forums and candidate discussions as a companion to this research.
What’s Keeping Utah’s Real Estate Market Hot in the Time of COVID?
The recent global health pandemic has shaken the foundation of our everyday lives and likely forced cultural shifts that will stay with us for a long time. Every part of the economy has been impacted to different degrees. While the economy fell into a record recession and experienced all-time high unemployment, Utah’s construction industry set a record for the first six months of the year.
Ivory-Boyer Construction Report, 2nd Quarter 2020
The momentum of a record-setting first quarter continued into the second quarter of the year. While COVID-19 ravaged the economy and led to all-time high unemployment, construction activity held on. Total permit-authorized construction value in Utah during the first half of 2020 is $4.8 billion, a slight increase of 0.4% over last year and a year-to-date record (see Table 1 and Figure 1). While both residential and nonresidential construction value decreased slightly, the 19.0% increase in additions, alterations, and repairs made sure construction value for the first two quarters of 2020 remained nearly identical to 2019. Total permitted residential units[...]
Insight: Who’s At Risk for COVID-19?
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™. Our world has been struggling with COVID-19 for about six months now. And while it feels like forever, there is still a lot we don’t know about the disease. For example, how much of the virus do you need to come into contact with to get infected? Will there be long-term health effects for those[...]
August 2020 Economic Summary
The impact of COVID-19 has significantly affected U.S. employment, GDP, and other economic factors. This report includes data from the first and second quarters of 2020 which reflect these effects. While the Utah economy has not escaped these unique circumstances, the state has fared better compared with national average metrics.
Insight: Berkshire Hathaway Ends a Deal Drought During the Pandemic
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™. Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway acquired Dominion Energy’s interstate natural gas transmission and storage assets in a $10 billion deal featuring two active players in Utah’s energy market. First, Berkshire Hathaway Energy’s PacifiCorp utility provides electricity to 915,000 customers in Utah. Second, Dominion Energy provides natural gas to 1 million customers in Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho.[...]
Insight: The Role of Industrial Banks in the Utah Economy – But First, What Is an Industrial Bank?
By: Andrea Thomas Brandley 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 2019, Utah’s 14 industrial banks held $140.6 billion in assets, such as loans, 93.5% of the total for all industrial banks in the United States. That large majority caught my eye as I’ve lived in Utah my whole life, and up until last month I had no idea what an industrial bank even[...]
An Economic Analysis of Utah’s Industrial Banks (Snapshot)
Industrial banks have a significant economic presence in Utah, the nationwide center for this banking segment with a 110-year history. The state’s current and former industrial banks pay above average wages and make community investments. In 2019, current industrial banks’ economic impacts included 6,468 instate jobs in all major sectors, $722.0 million in state GDP, and $32.0 million in state and local tax revenue in Utah.
An Economic Analysis of Utah’s Industrial Banks
Industrial banks generate substantial economic benefits in Utah, the nationwide center for this banking segment with a 110-year history.
Insight: Salt Lake City’s Commercial Real Estate Continues to Expand
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™. Utah’s capital city has seen tremendous growth over the last several decades. Along with record increases in apartments, office, industrial, and retail space has also experienced major growth. The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute recently published a report highlighting the historic supply and recent demand drivers for commercial real estate in Salt Lake City. […]