Salt Lake City's strong economy has once again landed it in the spotlight, this time on MoneyGeek's Top 15 Cities for Job Seekers list. "People want (a) affordability, (b) safety and (c) good work-life balance," said Phil Dean, Chief Economist & Public Finance Senior Research Fellow at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the David Eccles School of Business. Read Dean's full take [...]
Natalie Gochnour, director of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and associate dean at the David Eccles School of Business, was honored last week by the Salt Lake Chamber with the 2021 ATHENA Leadership Award. The award is the Chamber's highest recognition for women in business, and it is presented to a woman who is an active Chamber member who demonstrates excellence, creativity, and [...]
Ninety minutes. That’s all it took. I gained a deeper understanding of how data informs an elected official’s thought process regarding racial and ethnic disparities in Utah. He, in turn, reviewed the data and considered how he might incorporate this data into policymaking. Both of us acknowledged the importance of the issue, need for increased opportunities and inherent strengths that can help Utah improve. [...]
The pandemic has been hard on the labor market, but Utah seems to be bucking that trend, according to new analysis from The Wall Street Journal. Utah had the lowest average unemployment rate and highest number of people working or looking for jobs. “We went into the pandemic well-positioned,” said Natalie Gochnour, associate dean at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business. [...]
New research by several Eccles School faculty is showing up in news articles across the country. The research shows that state-wide mask mandates benefit local economies and provide health benefits. County-or-city-wide mandates do not appear to have the same benefits. Read more about the research in Forbes, The Washington Post, CBS Money Watch, The Chicago Tribune, and the Mississippi Free Press.
July 29, 2020 (Salt Lake City, Utah) – Research from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute shows Utah’s relatively young population is contributing to a lower COVID-19 death rate than the nation as a whole. As of July 14, 2020, the CDC COVID Data Tracker reported the Utah and U.S. per-capita death rates as 7.0 and 41.3 per 100,000, respectively, a difference of 34.3. [...]
Natalie Gochnour, executive director of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, recently was highlighted in the Desert News for her extraordinary contributions during the pandemic recovery. As a member of the Utah Economic Response Taskforce, Gochnour led the team that developed Governor Herbert’s “Utah Leads Together” plan, a comprehensive strategy to mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 and developing economic stability and recovery. Gochnour also [...]
What are the best cities for job seekers in 2020? Salt Lake City is ranked number 5 by MoneyGeek. John Downen, a senior research analyst for the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, lends his expertise to MoneyGeek about what makes a city an attractive place for job seekers. Check out his and other experts' insight here.
The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute today presented the 32nd Economic Report to the Governor to Utah Gov. Gary Herbert at the 2020 Economic Outlook & Public Policy Summit, hosted by the Salt Lake Chamber. The report has been the preeminent source for data and commentary on Utah’s economy for over 30 years. The consensus forecast predicts increased uncertainty and moderation, but still healthy [...]
January 6, 2020 (Salt Lake City, Utah) - The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute today released a breakthrough report designed to inform Utah’s efforts to improve air quality and address a changing climate. The report, called The Utah Roadmap, was requested by the Utah Legislature and includes seven priority strategies to reduce air emissions in Utah. If followed, these strategies will protect Utahns’ health, [...]