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. [...]
Researchers at the Marriner S. Eccles Institute for Economics and Quantitative Analysis have found that statewide mask requirements not only reduce the transmission of COVID-19, but they also spur more economic activity, while countywide mask requirements actually depress economic activity. “The thing that really pops out,” said lead research Nathan Seegert, assistant professor of Finance at the Eccles School, “is that statewide mask mandates [...]
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. [...]
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.
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, [...]
The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute is starting a student program called Ivory Experiences that is being underwritten by the Ivory Foundation. It provides undergraduate students a unique opportunity to interact and learn from the Institute as well as prominent business and community leaders. Each semester, 10 undergraduate students will be selected to take part in the Ivory Experiences. Ivory Experience Opportunities Public Policy [...]
The Utah Coal Country Strike Team placed second in the American Dream Ideas Challenge, securing more funding to support economic development in Carbon and Emery Counties. The team, which is co-led by Natalie Gochnour, assistant dean at the Eccles School and executive director of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, has received $900,000 in funding from Schmidt Futures and the University of Utah. The [...]
The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute today released preliminary results of a first-of-its-kind economic study of Utah’s tech and innovation economy. The research, which was shared today on Utah’s Capitol Hill, shows Utah’s tech economy supports one in seven Utah jobs, pays annual compensation 75 percent higher than other industries, and has increased employment at more than twice the national rate over the past [...]