Economy

Local Economic Development: Importance of the Sales Tax and Other Factors

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

Utah Foundation and the University of Utah’s Center for Public Policy & Administration (CPPA) have released a joint research report examining the factors that affect local economic development. This report initially set out to examine the influence that the sales tax has on local economic development. However, it became apparent that while the local tax structure does bear on city officials’ economic development decisions, there are many other, sometimes more influential, factors that affect local … Continued

The 2008 Utah Priorities Survey: The Top Issues and Concerns of Utah Voters for the 2008 Election

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

Throughout this election year, Utah Foundation will work to provide information, analysis, and public dialogue on the issues that matter most to you as you consider the future of Utah. The project began with a survey conducted by Dan Jones and Associates to understand which issues are of greatest concern to voters. The results of this survey are now available here by clicking the links below. The survey found that the top 10 issues for … Continued

Trends in Educational Attainment: U.S. Catching Up to Utah

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

The U.S. Census Bureau has been collecting information on educational attainment of the U.S. population since 1940. The Census reports such statistics as the percent of the adult population (25 years and older) that has graduated from high school and the percent of the adult population with a bachelor’s degree or higher. Recently, the Census published a report on educational attainment in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia from 1940 to 2000. These … Continued

Going for Broke: Utah’s Alarming Bankruptcy Problem

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

A wave of increasing bankruptcy rates has swept across the nation, causing economic, political, and social hardships. Utah has emerged in recent years as the number one state in terms of the number of bankruptcies compared to the number of households. Why would Utah fare worse in this national trend than other states, and how is this possible in a state that prides itself on responsible social behavior and self-reliance? What is unique about Utah’s … Continued

Recession and Recovery: Recent Challenges for Utah’s Workforce

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

Many papers and publications have been written about job trends by industry sector and periodic employment figures, but the meaning behind these numbers is often little understood. This paper will delve into the pertinent facts and figures relating to this issue and seek to define the trends and challenges faced by Utah’s workforce.

Dealing with Growth in Utah

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

The rapid population growth that occurred in Utah during the 1990s is still expected to continue for the next thirty years. The challenges presented by the significant growth underlie many of the other top issues facing this state. Education, jobs, water supply, health care, crime, higher education, environment, and transportation are all greatly impacted by population growth. This brief will seek to explain how growth patterns will impact some of the top issues identified by … Continued

Utah State Government Growth: 1991 to 2002

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

Over the past decade, Utah Foundation has periodically reviewed state government growth in Utah and compared it to the growth in personal income for the state. The purpose of these reports was to address the questions: How fast is state government growing? And is state government growing faster than residents’ ability to pay for it? Reports addressing these questions were published in 1995, 1997 and 1999.