In November 2025, Mayor Suzanne LaFrance briefly introduced a 3% sales tax proposal to the Anchorage Assembly. ISER researchers examined the implications and outcomes of the proposal, identifying several key conclusions:
Several ISER members were part of the Alaska delegation at last month’s UArctic Congress in the Faroe Islands. This biennial meeting assembles researchers and institutional leaders from across the Arctic Circle to collaborate on shared goals for the region.
Director Diane Hirshberg led the ISER contingent, representing UAA on two […]
The school year is over, and ISER researchers are studying which Alaska educators choose to come back to their jobs next year – and why. They’ll present updated teacher and principal turnover numbers, as well as preliminary findings from their statewide educator survey on Wednesday June 3, 2026 at the […]
ISER Directors Diane Hirshberg (2021-2026), Gunnar Knapp (2013-2016), Steve Colt (2007-2009), Fran Ulmer (2005-2007), and Lee Gorsuch (1976-1994)
The Institute of Social and Economic Research got its start in 1961, just two years after Alaska statehood. ISER has been at the forefront of public policy research ever since.
To celebrate 65 […]
ISER is welcoming public service researchers from across the country for the 2026 Consortium of University Public Service Organizations (CUPSO) Conference! 🐏
This year’s event, titled “Public Service on the Frontier,” will gather research staff from dozens of universities to share their successes and help shape future public policy. The conference […]
Resource industries like oil and fishing are characterized by boom-and-bust cycles – there are “good years” and “bad years.” In communities that are highly connected to a particular resource, these economic shocks are foregrounded in the public attention. But how well does news coverage of the shocks reflect the actual […]
ISER faculty have published results from their study of Alaska’s construction workforce. Commissioned by the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities, the report examines Alaska’s workforce in nine priority construction occupations, including laborers, carpenters, electricians, and truck drivers.
Using interviews, surveys, labor data, and public datasets, the report presents detailed […]
ISER is currently looking for a new director, who will coordinate research activities both within the institute and […]
Diane Hirshberg, professor of education policy at Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER).
Dr. Diane Hirshberg will step down as director of the […]
CAEPR is currently running a statewide educator survey!
The survey was developed in collaboration […]