University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization

University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization
Name	University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization
Formation	1960s
Type	Research institute
Headquarters	Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Parent organization	University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Leader title	Director

University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization

The University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization is an applied policy research institute affiliated with the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa that produces quantitative analysis for stakeholders across the Pacific Basin. It engages with state and territorial officials, multilateral agencies, regional businesses, nonprofit organizations, and academic partners to inform decisions on topics including tourism, natural resources, energy, fisheries, and labor markets. Its work situates Hawaiʻi within broader contexts such as the Asian Development Bank, Pacific Islands Forum, United Nations Development Programme, and transpacific trade networks involving places like Japan, China, and the United States.

Overview

The institute conducts empirical studies using methods from econometrics, input‑output analysis, computable general equilibrium modeling, and statistical forecasting developed in fields connected to scholars at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, Harvard University, and Princeton University. It serves public agencies including the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism and federal entities such as the United States Department of Commerce, while interacting with regional organizations like the Pacific Community, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Polynesian Leaders Group, and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities. Its clientele includes private firms and trade groups operating in sectors represented by the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, Aloha Airlines (historical), and multinational companies doing business with markets like South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.

History

Founded in the later 20th century on the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa campus, the organization developed amid policy debates influenced by events such as the Vietnam War era shifts in Pacific strategy and the growth of transpacific aviation epitomized by carriers like Pan American World Airways. Early collaborations connected faculty to federal research programs funded through bodies like the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, while regional crises—such as impacts from Hurricane Iniki and economic shocks following the Asian financial crisis—shaped the organization’s agenda. Over decades it has worked alongside scholars associated with institutions including the Brookings Institution, RAND Corporation, Resources for the Future, Institute of Pacific Relations, and the East-West Center to analyze tourism trends, resource management, and labor mobility across Pacific territories like Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Research Programs and Publications

Research programs address sectors and themes connecting to agencies and studies by World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the United Nations. Major topic areas have included tourism economics tied to data from the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, fisheries economics in relation to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, energy and renewables aligning with initiatives from the U.S. Department of Energy and the International Energy Agency, agricultural economics associated with the United States Department of Agriculture, and housing and labor analyses relevant to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Publication outlets and series echo peer institutions such as Journal of Development Economics, American Economic Review, Marine Policy, Energy Policy, and working paper series modeled on those of National Bureau of Economic Research and Centre for Economic Policy Research. Reports often draw on data sources like the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Hawaii State Data Book, and regional surveys used by organizations including Pacific Islands Development Program and Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.

Policy Impact and Outreach

The organization provides testimony and briefings to legislative bodies such as the Hawaii State Legislature and advisory input to executive offices including the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, collaborating with advocacy groups and think tanks like Kamehameha Schools, Hawai‘i Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice, Environmental Defense Fund, and Heinrich Böll Foundation initiatives in the Pacific. Outreach includes conferences and symposia with participation from scholars and policymakers from University of California, Los Angeles, University of Hawaiʻi System campuses, University of British Columbia, University of Auckland, and international delegations from Philippines, Fiji, and Samoa. Policy briefs inform strategies for climate adaptation associated with conventions like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and regional resilience planning coordinated with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.

Organizational Structure and Funding

The institute is administratively situated within research units at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and staffed by economists, statisticians, and policy analysts who have trained at institutions such as Yale University, Columbia University, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, and Cornell University. Funding streams combine competitively awarded grants from federal agencies including the National Institutes of Health for health‑economics work, contracts from state departments, commissioned studies for private corporations, foundation grants from entities like the Ford Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and program support from regional organizations such as the Asian Development Bank. The organization adheres to academic governance norms shared with research centers at University of California, Davis and University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant programs.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Collaborative networks include academic partnerships with East-West Center, cooperative projects with multilateral agencies like the Asian Development Bank and United Nations Development Programme, and joint research with Pacific institutions such as the University of the South Pacific, University of Guam, College of the Marshall Islands, and Fiji National University. Industry and NGO collaborations involve groups like the Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association, Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, and regional fisheries bodies including the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency. The institute also exchanges scholars through fellowships and visiting researcher programs patterned after exchanges with Fulbright Program, Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, and bilateral initiatives between United States and Japan research entities.

Category:University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Category:Research institutes in Hawaii