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: Food – Struggling Retail’s Best Friend
By: Dejan Eskic Innovate or die — that is the mantra of many of companies today. This is especially true in retail. Last year was the year of retail apocalypse with more than 5,000 store closures. This year, approximately 3,600 stores are expected to close their doors too. It is counterintuitive to have record store closings when consumer confidence is at an all-time high. I recently heard the phrase “retail isn’t dead, mediocre retail is dead.” The market is transforming for the next generation of shoppers. By some estimates, America retail is overbuilt by about 50 percent, indicating that we[...]
Policy Brief: Utah’s Olympic Economic Legacy, 2018
The 2002 Olympic Winter Games enlarged the Utah economy and left a lasting economic legacy. This legacy continues to grow and change as the Utah economy matures in each subsequent year since the Games.
Insight: Uintah Basin Energy Activities Set to Rebound in 2018
By: Thomas Holst Oil field metrics in the Uintah basin confirm a resurgence in oil and gas activity. The current Uintah basin rig count is 12, up from three a year ago. Operating permits issued to energy companies for exploration and production activity has also increased. This upswing in activity was triggered by a steady rise in oil prices to $64 per barrel from a low point of $30 per barrel in early 2016. […]
Insight: Brookings Institute Scholars Visit the Gardner Policy Institute
By: Natalie Gochnour In their recent book, “The New Localism: How Cities Can Thrive in the Age of Populism”, Bruce Katz and Jeremy Nowak detail how power in decision making has shifted downward from national-and-state-level governments to city-level and metropolitan communities. The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute was pleased to host a conversation with Katz and Nowak, along with Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, in January 2018 as part of its series of Informed Decisions Seminars, to explore how this shift may affect the Wasatch Front and how we can embrace the change to build on new opportunities. […]
February 2018 Economic Summary
The Utah economy remains healthy. Every major industrial sector expanded in 2017, contributing a total of 43,500 new jobs over the year. The consensus forecast predicts moderating- but still healthy - job and wage growth, low unemployment, and increased net migration in 2018.
January Economic Summary
The Utah economy remains healthy. Every major industrial sector expanded in 2017, contributing a total of 43,500 new jobs over the year. An annual employment growth rate of 3.1% is on par with the state’s long-term average and is among the strongest in the nation. In 2017, Utah’s construction sector posted the highest job growth with 5.4%.
Insight: Peak Oil Theory Revisited
By: Thomas Holst, M.B.A. The term “peak oil” is part of geologist M. King Hubbert's theory developed in 1956 describing the point in time when the maximum rate of global crude oil production is reached, after which crude oil production would enter into terminal decline. Hubbert’s peak oil theory gained traction when he correctly predicted that U.S. crude oil production would peak in 1970 and then enter into decline. However, recent developments have highlighted flaws in Hubbert’s peak oil theory. The United States Energy Information Administration (USEIA) recently projected the U.S. will surpass the Saudis and Russians in crude oil production in 2018 and again become[...]
Insight: The SLC International Airport is a first-class gift to Utah’s economy
By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in the Deseret News I just completed eight years of service on the Salt Lake City International Airport Board. During this time, I observed air traffic controllers doing their stressful work, TSA officers screening luggage in their high-tech monitoring area, airline employees supervising the automated luggage sorting system, airport police working with their bomb-detecting dogs, a wildlife officer keeping birds away from the jets using pyrotechnics and raptor traps and the incredible airport staff servicing more than 23 million travelers annually. The SLC Airport is a wonder to behold. […]
2018 Economic Report to the Governor
The 2018 Economic Report to the Governor is the 30th publication in this series. Through the last three decades, the Economic Report to the Governor has served as the preeminent source for data, research, and analysis about the Utah economy.
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[...]