Blogs

Personal Income Growth Slows in 12Q3 for HI & US

December 21, 2012

The latest data released by the US Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) indicates that personal income growth decelerated in the third quarter of 2012 for Hawaii and the US as a whole. Despite slow growth in the most recent quarter, conditions continue to improve both locally and across the nation. PERSONAL INCOME […]

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Q & A: New Zealand’s big subsidies for the newest Hobbit film

December 13, 2012

1. IT’S A BIG WEEKEND COMING FOR THE FILM BUSINESS, WITH THE NEWEST FILM IN THE HOBBIT TRILOGY OPENING WORLDWIDE TODAY AND TOMORROW. Yes, the film is called The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and once again the esteemed New Zealand film director, Peter Jackson, is the creative genius behind this film. I watched the film’s trailer and […]

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Q & A: Walking the Tightropes in Europe and the United States

November 27, 2012

1. LAST NIGHT EUROPEAN FINANCE MINISTERS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND MET IN BRUSSELS BUT COULDN’T REACH AGREEMENT ABOUT RELEASING SOME ALREADY PROMISED FINANCIAL AID TO GREECE. WHAT’S GOING ON IN EUROPE? That’s correct and what made the lack of agreement even more bewildering was that when the ministers entered the negotiations that […]

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Hawaii’s Proposed 400MW Wind Energy Project Explained

November 1, 2012

HOW WILL THE PROPOSED 400 MW WIND ENERGY PROJECT CONTRIBUTE TO THE STATE’S RENEWABLE ENERGY GOALS? Hawaii has one of the most stringent Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS)* policies in the country as well as the highest electricity rates due to dependence on oil for electricity generation (Coffman et al., 2012). As such, renewable energy technologies […]

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UHERO Forum to Discuss Critical Issues on Economy, Environment and Society

October 23, 2012

Check out this video of UHERO Executive Director and Professor of Economics Carl Bonham discussing what is to be expected at the inaugural UHERO Forum, which will take place on Oct. 29, 2012. It will focusing on critical issues facing the state of Hawai’i and will welcome local researchers and business leaders, as well as experts from […]

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Q & A: Economics of Local Food

October 4, 2012

1. YOU ARE HOSTING A SPECIAL FORUM ON HAWAII’S ECONOMY THIS MONTH. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TOPICS ARE BEING COVERED? On October 29, we are holding the first UHERO Forum on Hawaii’s economy. There will be a forecast presentation covering the US and China by the Chief Economist of FedX, sessions on investing in […]

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20 years of Agriculture in Hawaii: Very Small and Shrinking

September 21, 2012

[Missing Interactive Figure Goes Here] Adapted from the “Wealth and Health of Nations” re-creation by Mike BostockSource: UHERO Instructions:Mouseover the year to move forward and backwards through time.Mouseover the circles and wait for the tool tip to see the sector name. This chart shows a sector-by-sector overview of the Hawaii economy between 1990 and 2010 with an […]

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Compassionate Deficit Reduction vs the Fiscal Cliff

September 20, 2012

Last week both the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank made big policy commitments to support the global economy  (see Pacific Beat—  U.S. and Europe Central Banks Announce Major Policy Changes).  But monetary policy is facing an uphill battle at home and in Europe as governments implement austerity programs aimed at reducing deficits.  In […]

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Q & A: Pacific Beat— U.S. and Europe Central Banks Announce Major Policy Changes

1. BOTH THE U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE AND THE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK MADE BIG POLICY COMMITMENTS LAST WEEK. WHAT DID THE FED DO? The U.S. Federal Reserve launched a program known in the media as “QE3”. The 
program involves Fed purchase of long-term bonds and is designed to bring down
 long-term interest rates. The program announced […]

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