Economy
UHERO Forecast for the State of Hawaii: More Substantial Recovery in Sight
Hawaii is struggling to emerge from the COVID-19 downturn, but the recovery is poised to accelerate. Falling virus counts and vaccination progress set the stage for a strengthening of tourism and the broader economy. The pandemic has damaged businesses and lower-income households, and full recovery remains several years down the road.
Read MoreLegalizing 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 legalize some form of gambling in Hawaii have been introduced this session to generate more tax revenue. Although most have died (a bill to create a state lottery in Hawaii […]
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 MoreAnnual Hawaii Forecast With Global Outlook: Mainland COVID-19 surge means a bleak winter, but vaccines promise 2021 growth
The Hawaii economy began to recover from the COVID-19 downturn by the end of the second quarter, but subsequent global waves of the pandemic have disrupted economic progress. The ongoing mainland virus surge and the State’s tightened quarantine rules will weigh on near-term recovery, while news of coming vaccines fundamentally improves growth prospects for the […]
Read MoreUHERO partnering in Back on the Wave Oʻahu
The City and County of Honolulu and UHERO’s Ruben Juarez have developed a COVID-19 health and safety assessment for businesses in Oʻahu. Businesses, let your customers know that you’re helping Oʻahu get back on the wave, and earn free personal protective equipment and free signage. Customers can access the directory of businesses and safe practices […]
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 […]
Read MoreCharging 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 (DLNR) Division of State Parks began to charge $1 entrance fee per adult—tourist and local—who walked into the park to hike the iconic Diamond Head trail. A $5 entrance fee per […]
Read MoreEstimating economic conditions during the COVID-19 crisis
By Carl Bonham and Peter Fuleky When the long-lived expansion of the past decade was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, many economists turned their attention to new sources of data to track economic conditions. The indicators we have used historically were not timely enough in the quickly changing economic landscape. Take for example gross domestic […]
Read MoreRecovery to Resilience: Steps Toward the Post-COVID Economy
Wednesday, October 21, 8:00 am Register on Zoom and submit questions in advance HERE. Covid-19 has provoked the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and Hawai‘i now has the weakest economy in the nation, as a measure of GDP decline. Join us to discuss strategies to navigate the recession and set the stage for […]
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