Funding the Hawaii Tourism Authority: TAT vs General Fund…Or?
By James Mak A majority of the states in the U.S. have a government tourism office (also known as Destination Marketing Organization, DMO) that markets
June 28, 2021
Blogs
Is a Carbon Tax Viable for a Small Island Economy?
By Maja Schjervheim, Paul Bernstein, Sumner La Croix, Makena Coffman, and Sherilyn Hayashida For the third year in a row, a carbon tax bill fizzled
June 17, 2021
Should the Counties Get a Share of the Transient Accommodation Tax?
By James Mak In the recently-concluded thirty-first legislature (2021), Hawaii state lawmakers passed HB 862 CD1 which would divert to the state government’s general fund
June 16, 2021
How to Renovate Housing Policy in a Way that Works
How to Renovate Housing Policy in a Way that Works On May 12, the University of Hawaii Better Tomorrow Speaker Series series hosted a discussion
June 15, 2021
How Bad? Labor Underutilization in Hawaii During the Pandemic
By James Mak The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently issued revised estimates of civilian labor force and unemployment in Hawaii for all of
April 27, 2021
COVID-19 infections, vaccines, and economic recovery
By Carl Bonham, Peter Fuleky, Byron Gangnes, and Justin Tyndall A year ago Hawaii was operating under its first COVID-19 Stay at Home Order. As
April 16, 2021
Mobility Data Shows Fewer Residents Staying at Home
By Joshua Hu and Justin Tyndall Hawaii has steadily moved forward with its vaccination initiative. Currently, the CDC reports that 26% of Hawai’i residents are
April 15, 2021
Location, Location, Location! A uniquely Hawaiʻi economic development strategy
Read the full UHERO Brief. By Steven Bond-Smith* Hawai‘i’s vulnerability to economic shocks has become a paramount concern during the pandemic. Extreme specialization in the
April 9, 2021
The Hawaii Film Tax Credit: An Update
By Sumner La Croix and James Mak In 1997, Hawaii was one of the first states to grant tax credits to attract content producers to
March 30, 2021
Legalizing Casino Gaming to Fund Homes for Native Hawaiians
By James Mak Times are hard at the state legislature as lawmakers grapple with the fiscal crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Several bills to
February 19, 2021
November Rental Market: Troubling Signs Remain As State Prepares for an Uncertain 2021
By Philip ME Garboden This month, UHERO completed its second quarterly survey of rental property owners and managers (the first from August 2020 can be
January 14, 2021
Estimating COVID-19 Induced Rental Housing Hardship in 2021
By Philip ME Garboden and Isabelle Picciotto Several months ago, UHERO estimated the impact of the COVID-19 induced economic downturn on renters in 2020. Much
December 15, 2020
Are Hawai’i Residents Staying at Home?
By Justin Tyndall and Joshua Hu Staying at home and avoiding crowded spaces is an important way for residents to help contain the spread of
December 9, 2020
Pre-Travel Testing and Hawaii’s Daily Trans-Pacific Visitors
By James Mak and Carl Bonham The front page headline on Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s October 16 issue read: SOLID REOPENING DAY. Indeed, it was. On October 15,
November 6, 2020
Charging Higher User Fees to Tourists at Hawaii’s State Parks
By James Mak “Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono” [1] In May 2000 the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources
October 20, 2020