Insights
Delinquencies have spiked in the aftermath of the Maui wildfires
By Daniela Bond-Smith The devastating Maui wildfires destroyed most of Lahaina and displaced thousands of residents. But many Lahaina homeowners still have mortgages on their
The Gender Pay Gap in Hawaii
By Rachel Inafuku In recognition of International Women’s Day, which was recently celebrated on March 8, UHERO wishes to underscore the importance of women in
The supply side: AI, immigration, and non-inflationary growth
By Byron Gangnes Home from last week’s National Association for Business Economics Policy Conference in Washington DC. Not surprisingly, many of the sessions ended up
Could the markets be right about coming Fed rate cuts?
By Byron Gangnes There is a marked difference between what Fed officials expect about their likely rate cuts this year and what the financial markets
Social, economic, and health impacts of the Red Hill fuel spill: preliminary survey results
By Leah Bremer, Tara Sutton, Ruben Juarez, Nicole Siegal, Nathan DeMaagd *University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO), Water Resources Research Center (WRRC), Department of
UHERO’s Justin Tyndall cited in the 2024 Economic Report of the President
Congratulations to UHERO’s Justin Tyndall whose recent article (co-authored with Limin Fang and Nathan Stewart)” Homeowner Politics and Housing Supply” was cited in the 2024 Economic Report
UHERO’s Byron Gangnes to be featured at HEA webinar
On Thursday, March 28, UHERO’s Byron Gangnes will join First Hawaiian Bank’s Steve Rodgers in a webinar hosted by the Hawaii Economic Association to discuss
Congratulations to UHERO’s Peter Fuleky
Congratulations to UHERO’s Peter Fuleky on being selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for 2024-2025 for Hungary. Peter is UHERO’s first Fulbright U.S. Scholar.
UHERO’s Sumner La Croix elected President of the Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand
At its annual meeting on 17 February 2024, the members of the Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand elected Sumner La Croix (University
UHERO’s Justin Tyndall explains how short term vacation rentals impact Hawaii’s housing market
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2024/02/20/debrief-how-short-term-vacation-rentals-impact-hawaiis-housing-market/
Taxing Tourists to Generate Revenue to Address the Negative Impacts of Climate Change on Hawai‘i Natural Resources
There is widespread agreement among Hawai‘i residents that the state government needs to spend more money on natural resource stewardship. A critical question is how
Dissolving the Hawaii Tourism Authority
Read the summary blog post. By Paul Brewbaker, Frank Haas, and James Mak State lawmakers in the 2023 state legislature are bashing the Hawaii Tourism
Public Campaign Financing: Evidence and Opportunities for Hawai‘i
By Colin Moore Concerns about the corrupting influence of money in politics have led to renewed interest in public campaign financing. Some argue that using
Hawai‘i Tourism in Search of the Promised Land
By Paul Brewbaker, Frank Haas and James Mak Public pressure has been mounting on the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) to shift its focus from mainly
Measuring the Burden of Housing Regulation in Hawaii
By Rachel Inafuku, Justin Tyndall, and Carl Bonham Home prices in Hawaii are among the highest in the nation: in 2021 the median single-family home resale
UHERO Forecast for the State of Hawaiʻi: Near-term slowing expected as pandemic recovery ends
Hawaii’s economy has been sustained by a resilient US and the gradual return of international visitors. With the Islands’ post-pandemic recovery now largely complete, the
UHERO Forecast for the State of Hawaiʻi: State facing headwinds as Maui recovery begins
Hawaii’s economy has been resilient in the face of weakening US and global economies, high interest rates, and the glacial return of Japanese travelers. Deceleration
UHERO Forecast for the State of Hawaiʻi: Wildfires deliver heavy blow to Maui economy
The tragic Maui wildfires have inflicted deep pain and loss on the affected communities, and sorrow among all of Hawaii’s residents. There are also economic
UHERO Forecast for the State of Hawaiʻi: Promise and Peril for the Hawaii Economy
Recent developments bring both promise and peril for Hawaii. Tourism prospects are positive, despite the delayed Japanese market recovery. Construction activity will remain high, and
UHERO Forecast for the State of Hawaiʻi: Hawaiʻi’s Soft Landing Still in the Cards
Our Hawaiʻi outlook continues to see economic slowing but no recession. While international tourism will continue to recover, domestic travel will soften as the US
How does Hawai‘i’s economic geography affect its healthcare industry?
Hawai‘i’s small size and isolation present particular challenges to the healthcare industry, including lower productivity and higher costs, due to its limited ability to take
Why are Condominiums so Expensive in Hawai‘i?
The median sale price of a new two-bedroom condominium in Hawai‘i is about $670,000, more than double the price in the average state. In this
Public Health Report: Initial Findings from the Maui Wildfire Exposure Study
Following the devastating wildfires from August 8-11, 2023, the Maui community has faced significant challenges including environmental hazards, air pollution, and toxic substances that pose
Estimating the Returns to Higher Education Using Administrative Data: A Case Study of the University of Hawai`i System
Read the summary blog post. What is the value of a degree from the University of Hawai`i (UH)? While college tuition has significantly increasednationally, tuition
Economic Impact of the Natural Energy Laboratory Hawaii Authority Tenants on the State of Hawaii in 2022
NELHA contracted the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) to estimate its economic impact on the State of Hawaii. Specifically, this research determined NELHA’s
Threshold regressions for more objective urban and regional policies
Abstract: Achieving policy goals often requires different policies for different places, but the assignment of places to policies is often arbitrary, political, or based on
Male-biased sex ratios, marriage, and household composition in early twentieth-century Hawai‘i
Abstract: Immigration to Hawai‘i between 1870 and 1930 led to a more than six-fold increase in population and high and rapidly varying sex ratios in
The effect of front-end vehicle height on pedestrian death risk
Abstract: Pedestrian deaths in the US have risen in recent years. Concurrently, US vehicles have increased in size, which may pose a safety risk for
Combining agglomeration economies and endogenous growth without scale effects
Abstract: Increasing returns to scale is essential to both spatial economics and macroeconomic growth. Spatial externalities imply external local increasing returns that generate an uneven
The effect of bus rapid transit on local home prices
Abstract: Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems have become increasingly common in US cities. BRT stations provide a local amenity by improving transportation options for local