Briefs
The Agricultural Economic Landscape in Hawai‘i and the Potential for Future Economic Viability
By Sarah Rehkamp, Michael J. Roberts, and James M. MacDonald In a recent UHERO policy brief, Reviving Agriculture to Diversify Hawai‘i’s Economy, authors pointed to trends in Hawai‘i agriculture and state policies surrounding agricultural land management (La Croix & Mak, 2021). Hawai‘i’s agricultural history has centered around the pineapple and sugar plantations and these are […]
Read MoreTaxing Income in the New World of Teleworking
By Robert D. Ebel and James Mak Covid-19 has accelerated the growth of teleworking/telecommuting in the U.S. As a result, states are having to confront the challenge of determining how best to tax the incomes of employees who live in one state but work remotely for employers located in another state. In Hawaii a resident […]
Read MoreTraffic in Honolulu: How to Make Transitory Pandemic Gains Permanent
By Justin Tyndall and Sumner La Croix During the COVID-19 pandemic, Honolulu traffic became much less congested. Local and state governments could help residents keep the social benefits from traffic control by providing incentives to private firms to stagger hours and/or keep more employees working at home. A congestion zone fee to drive within the downtown-to-Waikiki corridor […]
Read MoreLocation, Location, Location! A uniquely Hawai‘i economic development strategy
By Steven Bond-Smith Hawaiʻi’s economy is in trouble. Unemployment is typically low in Hawai‘i and it was close to an all-time low in March 2020 at just 2.1 per cent. But Covid-19 has ravaged the visitor industry. Business travel and tourism have dried up due to public health restrictions and the risk of contracting Covid […]
Read MoreUnderstanding the Role of the Hawaii Film/TV/Digital Production Tax Credit In Diversifying the Hawaii Economy
By Sumner La Croix and James Mak Hawaii is one of 32 states in 2020 to offer a tax credit to film, TV, and digital productions through the Hawaii Motion Picture, Digital Media and Film Production Tax Credit (hereafter “film credit”). Since the passage of the film credit in 2006, spending in Hawaii on TV/film […]
Read MoreLinking Land and Water Management to Culturally and Ecologically Important Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems
Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems (GDEs) are ecosystems which rely on groundwater. In Kona, Hawaiʻi coastal GDEs include: fish ponds (loko iʻa), anchialine pools, and nearshore ecosystems. Communities and agencies are working to restore and protect these ecosystems for their linked cultural and ecological values, and seek information on the interacting impacts of wastewater management, urban development, […]
Read MoreReviving Agriculture to Diversify Hawaii’s Economy
Hawaii state policymakers have identified agriculture as a sector capable of substantial expansion as part of the state’s efforts to diversify the economy. Agriculture has, however, been in decline in Hawaii for the last 40 years despite the presence of two state programs designed to keep lands in agriculture (the Important Agricultural Lands (IAL) program) […]
Read MoreThe Hawaii Research Activity Tax Credit: Is It Effective and How Can It Be Improved?
In 2013, the Hawaii State Legislature enacted a tax credit for Hawaii technology firms engaged in qualified research activities satisfying requirements for the federal research tax credit. After reviewing studies in the economics literature on the effectiveness of research tax credits in other states and countries, we conclude that a research tax credit can be […]
Read MoreReopening Japanese Tourism in Hawaii: Is it Safe?
In this short policy brief, we aim to answer four questions. 1. Will Japanese tourists coming to Hawaii be COVID-19 free after taking a pre-departure PCR test? 2. Are some Japanese tourists likely to be infected in Hawaii and bring COVID-19 back to Japan? 3. Will the combination of a pre-departure test and a quarantine […]
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