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.
Insight: Using Medicaid to Pay for What?
By: Laura Summers, Senior Health Care Analyst During the 2019 legislative session, Utah confirmed that it will soon become one of 37 states to adopt Medicaid expansion. This means the state is expanding Medicaid eligibility to uninsured, low-income, childless adults and raising the mandatory income eligibility level for jobless and working parents. As part of this expansion, Utah is planning to submit a waiver to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seeking several permissions and additions to its Medicaid expansion program. The state is requesting that CMS allow it to develop behavioral and physical health integration pilot programs[...]
The Economic Impacts of Utah Retirement Systems Pension Payments in the State of Utah in 2018
Utah Retirement Systems (URS) administers defined contribution and defined benefit (pension) retirement plans for employees of 476 state and local government entities. This report examines the economic impacts of defined benefit pension payments made by URS to Utah residents in 2018, and compares these impacts with those estimated in 2015.
Ivory-Boyer Construction Report, Year End 2018
Utah’s construction activity in the fourth quarter of 2018 tapered off. However, due to a strong start in the beginning of the year, the statewide value of construction totaled nearly $8.5 billion, a 3.3 percent increase from 2017. Residential construction remained the driving force behind Utah’s construction industry, comprising 61 percent of the state’s total construction value in 2018. This year saw a 5.5 percent increase in the total number of residential units, with 24,241 units, the highest number of units in 12 years. Nonresidential construction remained above $2 billion for the year, for the fourth year in a row,[...]
February 2019 Economic Summary
The Utah economy exceeded expectations in 2018, adding a total of 48,500 new jobs over the year. An annual employment growth rate of 3.3% is on par with the state’s long-term average and is among the strongest in the nation. A tightening labor market (3.1 percent unemployment) applied upward pressure on personal income. Annual income per capita increased to $45,174, a 3.9 percent increase from last year.
Industry Snapshot: Utah’s Tech Industry
The tech industry develops digital platforms that enable the ubiquitous information economy. Tech companies provide software for many applications. They manufacture and distribute computers and devices used by individuals and organizations. The industry also encompasses e-commerce and IT support. This document and the companion research brief present preliminary results of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute’s research program for 2018 and 2019 on Utah’s innovation economy. We are preparing a more comprehensive report for publication in July 2019.
Summary Economic Impacts of Utah’s Tech Industry
The Utah State Legislature appropriated fiscal year 2019 funding to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute for a first-of-itskind economic study of Utah’s innovation economy. The Gardner Policy Institute convened its Tech Industry Advisory Council, with participation from three Utah trade associations—Silicon Slopes, Utah Technology Council (UTC), and Women Tech Council (WTC)—as well as the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) and Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCUtah).
Insight: Utah trivia buff? Here’s a book you’ll like
By: A. Scott Anderson Originally published in the Deseret News Did you know that Salt Lake City’s population has reached the lofty milestone of 200,000 residents? However, as a proportion of Salt Lake County, its population has never been smaller. What region of the world are most Utah immigrants coming from? If you guessed Latin America (like I did), you would be wrong. […]
Insight: Wasatch Front Air Quality – Getting Better or Worse?
By: Thomas Holst Skiing on weekends is a relaxing way to appreciate Utah’s snow and the challenging terrain of local resorts. Frequently, an added benefit is to escape an inversion layer in the valley. Inversions are facilitated by the unique topography along the Wasatch Front. A recent survey conducted for the Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR) shows that Utahns are both informed about the causes of poor air quality and will assume responsibility for implementing solutions:[i] […]
Insight: Utah’s Governor Seeks Sales Tax Reform
By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in Utah Business Utah Governor Gary Herbert can claim many accolades. He boasts a 70 percent approval rating, higher than any major officeholder in the state. He is only the third Utah governor to serve more than eight years in office, another testament to the regard people have for him. And, if current trends continue until June 2019, he will lead Utah during its longest economic expansion on record (121 consecutive months). […]
Insight: Utah’s coal transition belongs to all of us
By: Natalie Gochnour First published in the Deseret News Dinosaur bones, footprints, eggs and other fossils can be found throughout eastern Utah. It is a paleontologist wonderland because here, in Utah’s coal country, the last dinosaurs came to die. Today, another kind of extinction faces residents in Utah’s coal country. If the economies in Carbon and Emery counties don’t diversify, many family supporting jobs will become extinct. […]