Publications
The effects of COVID-19 vaccine mandates in Hawai‘i
Having been affected by the highest increase in COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, Honolulu and Maui counties in Hawaii implemented vaccine passport mandates for select industries in September 2021. However, the degree to which such mandates impacted COVID-19 mitigation efforts and economics remains poorly understood. Herein, we describe the effects of these […]
Read MoreEconomic and GHG impacts of a US state-level carbon tax: the case of Hawai’i
A new paper by a team from UHERO published in Climate Policy finds that a carbon tax for Hawai‘i set at the federal social cost of carbon would reduce cumulative GHG emissions by 10% relative to the baseline from 2025 to 2045. They find that when carbon tax revenues are paid as equal-share dividends to Hawai‘i […]
Read MoreDoes air pollution increase electric vehicle adoption? Evidence from U.S. metropolitan areas, 2011–2018
A publication in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy by a team of economists including UHERO’s Coffman, Hayashida, and La Croix shows that changes in local air pollution within U.S. metropolitan areas are associated with changes in consumer purchases of new EVs. The authors find a positive association between PM2.5 pollution and BEV adoption, and a negative […]
Read MorePutting Suppliers on the Map: Centering upstream voices in water funds outreach
UHERO’s Leah Bremer, in collaboration with a team of international researchers, showcases interactive ways to highlight the perspectives of upstream participants in Payments for Watershed Services programs in Colombia in a special issue on water education and outreach. See also interactive Suppliers on the Map website for more information.
Read MoreBird’s eye view of COVID-19, mobility, and labor market outcomes across the US
COVID-19 dealt a formidable blow to the US economy. We present a joint analysis of the epidemiological and labor market outcomes across US states. We focus on the relationship across relevant indicators in the pre-vaccination era. As expected, we find strong correlation between changes in economic conditions and mobility. However, mobility fluctuations tend to be […]
Read MoreRisk to native marine macroalgae from land-use and climate change-related modification to groundwater discharge in Hawai’i
Dr. Henrietta Dulai in collaboration with UHERO and the Department of Life Sciences, sheds light on the links between submarine groundwater discharge and the health of coastal ecosystems. See press on Hawaiʻi Public Radio and UH News.
Read MoreTraditional and novel time-series approaches reveal submarine groundwater discharge dynamics under baseline and extreme event conditions
UHERO’s Peter Fuleky and his team conducted time-series data analysis and machine learning on a long-term, high resolution radon time-series from Kīholo Bay, Hawaiʻi to analyze the dependencies between rainfall, groundwater and ocean-water levels, coastal salinity, and submarine groundwater discharge. The analyses presented in this research are the first step in understanding what to expect […]
Read MoreCompact for care: how the Affordable Care Act marketplaces fell short for a vulnerable population in Hawaii
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed in 2010 to expand access to health insurance in the USA and promote innovation in health care delivery. While the law significantly reduced the proportion of uninsured, the market-based protection it provides for poor and vulnerable US residents is an imperfect substitute for government programs such […]
Read MoreDetecting religion from space: Nyepi Day in Bali
Daily changes in human activity are difficult to detect using nightlight imagery because many factors that influence nightlights are changing from night to night. We propose using a difference-in-differences methodology for detecting daily changes in human behavior using NASA’s Black Marble product suite. We find that total top-of-atmosphere radiance on the Indonesian island of Bali decreases by […]
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