UHERO
Insights
How I know we’re Not in a Recession. (And when we’ll know if we are.)
By Byron Gangnes Try to tell people that we are not in a recession, and you will get a lot of pushback. After all, jobs…
Hawaiʻi’s Unnecessary Benefit Cliff: How One Small Policy Change Could Deliver Tens of Millions in Federally-Funded SNAP Benefits
By Dylan Moore and Nate Hix (Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute) In Hawaiʻi, as in other states, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—otherwise known as food…
Which College Majors Pay the Most in Hawaiʻi and the US?
By Rachel Inafuku and Tim Halliday Despite recent discussions in the popular press, a college degree is well worth its investment. In a recent UHERO…
How Expanding Access to Preschool Can Benefit Hawaii’s Future
By: Rachel Inafuku The State of Hawaii has identified a significant gap in preschool enrollment among its youngest learners. Of the 33,224 3- and 4-year…
Why Not Just Tax Them? A Middle Ground on Addressing Short-Term Rentals
By Dylan Moore Maui is at a crossroads, grappling with a severe housing crisis exacerbated by last year’s wildfires. In response, Mayor Richard Bissen has…
Potential opportunities to diversify the economy of Hawaiʻi
By: Steven Bond-Smith and Sumit Ilamkar The economy of Hawaiʻi is extraordinarily concentrated in the tourism industry. As a result of tourism’s dominance, Hawaiʻi’s economy…
Maui Short-Term Rentals, the Minatoya List, and Housing Supply
By Justin Tyndall and Emi Kim Recent state legislation has given counties new powers to regulate Transient Vacation Rental (TVR) properties. A proposal on Maui…
Japan Update: Struggling to escape inflation’s drag
By Byron Gangnes Like all countries, Japan was hit hard by COVID-19, and the economy has struggled to get back on track since. Some headwinds…
Unclaimed: Over $15 million in Tax Credits for Low Income Households
By Dylan T. Moore (UHERO) & Baybars Karacaovali (Office of Tax Research and Planning, Hawai’i Department of Taxation) In 2021, low-income households in Hawaii were…