Blogs
Adaptation Strategies for Sea Level Rise: Perspectives from Hawaiʻi’s Elected Officials
By Ketty A. Loeb and Colin D. Moore Read the full report. Due to its remote geographic location and extensive coastlines, the State of Hawai‘i is particularly vulnerable to climate change and sea level rise (SLR). While Hawai‘i was among the first states to officially recognize the climate crisis and has played a leading role […]
Read MoreWhen is economic growth too strong?
By Byron Gangnes To most of us, faster economic growth is a good thing. It reduces unemployment, raises profits and wages, and generates healthier government fiscal situations. (Of course, some might worry about the pressures of rapid growth on the environment.) But the Federal Reserve is concerned that continued strong growth in the US economy […]
Read MoreReducing fire risk and restoring value to fallow agricultural lands
This blog was conceived via conversations among UHERO faculty and fellows from diverse backgrounds from environmental economics, ecosystem services, economic diversification, and fire and ecosystems. It is meant to stimulate conversation, research, and action towards pathways to address the critical problem of fire risk from unmanaged grasslands and opportunities to support more generative landscapes. We […]
Read MoreThe Nature, Causes, and Consequences of Student Deselection and Criminalization
By Katherine Irwin and James Roumasset1 A central principle of public economics is that the government should correct market failures. For example, when a firm’s pollution imposes social cost on society—an externality—the market fails to provide an efficient allocation of resources. The externality can be corrected by forcing the firm to pay for the cost […]
Read MoreNo credit card binge, but burdens are rising
By Byron Gangnes Credit card balances broke the $1 trillion mark recently, but their share of disposable income remains moderate by historical standards. And as the figure below also shows, they have risen only to pre-pandemic levels when expressed in real (inflation-adjusted) terms. There’s no debt binge out there. But interest rates have risen considerably […]
Read MoreEconomic Perspective of Maui’s Devastating Wildfires
By James Mak, Paul Brewbaker, and Frank Haas Lahaina is a very special place with so much deep, rich history. Over time, it’s evolved. It’s been many things. It’s been the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom. It’s been home base for generations of Maui chiefs. It’s been a center of commerce in whaling. It’s been […]
Read MoreJobless claims reveal staggering employment cost of Maui wildfires
By Byron Gangnes Jobless claims for the week ending September 2 have been released. At the national level, new claims ticked down for the fourth straight week, but the four-week trailing average remains in line with claim levels prior to the pandemic. The claims data do not materially change the US labor market picture: Slower […]
Read MoreEmbracing TOU: Nudges, Rates, and Renewable Energy
By Michael Roberts, Nori Tarui and Ethan Hartely Hawaiian Electric Company is about to embark on a significant experiment: a pilot program introducing time-of-use (TOU) pricing. Designed to reduce electricity prices during daylight hours when solar power is abundant and increase them during the evening when the sun sets and demand rises, this initiative could […]
Read MoreWhat Does It Mean for HTA to be Administratively Attached to DBEDT?
By Paul Brewbaker, Frank Haas, and James Mak Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) was established by Act 156 in 1998 and is administratively attached to the State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT). HTA’s mission is “To strategically manage Hawaii tourism in a sustainable manner consistent with the economic goals, cultural values, preservation of […]
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