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.
Utah’s Film & Digital Entertainment Industry, 2016
In 2015, the Utah Film Commission enlisted the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah to conduct a baseline assessment of Utah’s film and digital entertainment industry.
Rio 2016 Insight: Learning from the Salt Lake Olympic Winter Games
By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in Utah Business Hosting the Olympic Games is not for the faint of heart. The spotlight is bright, the logistics are complicated and the cost is substantial. Nobody knows this better than Rio de Janeiro, the host for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. The Rio Olympics have been beset by extraordinary challenges, including the Zika virus, doping scandals, serious crime, environmental problems, political mayhem and the nation’s worst recession since the 1930s. […]
Insight: SLC support for Vivint Smart Home Arena makes economic sense
By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in the Deseret News If you are like me, you begin to get excited this time of year for the start of the NBA basketball season and our own Utah Jazz. The Jazz have been busy lately, making personnel moves that will make us a playoff-caliber team. Even more important to the long-term success of the Jazz and downtown Salt Lake City is the $125 million renovation occurring at Vivint Smart Home Arena. I commend the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City for using tax increment financing to support this important investment. […]
Insight: Why Utah is a High Growth State
By: James Wood Economic growth is not a simple concept. More than one Nobel Prize has been awarded to economists for their work on growth theory. [1] Even today what drives economic growth, how it’s measured, and what we can expect in the future are still vigorously debated. […]