News and Announcements
New ISER study finds Alaska’s K-12 education spending is not keeping pace with other states, or with inflation
ISER researchers Matt Berman and Dayna DeFeo have released a new report updating their previous analyses of Alaska’s current per-pupil education spending. The report is available here: http://hdl.handle.net/11122/15717 In 2022, K-12 schools in Alaska spent $20,191 per student for current operations, which was 29% more than the national average of $15,633. However, after adjusting Alaska’s spending for its higher relative costs, their analysis finds that Alaska’s per-pupil current expenditures fall below the national average by 15%. Between 2017 and 2022, per pupil current spending in other US states increased by 26%, whereas Alaska’s spending increased by only 13%. Meanwhile, the US [...]
UPDATE: Effects of a Proposed Sales Tax on Anchorage Households
UPDATE: Since this report was released, the Assembly has been considering modifications to the sales tax proposal, and it could be modified further before it is placed on the ballot for a vote. for the most up-to-date version of the sales tax proposal, please visit: https://www.muni.org/Departments/Assembly/Pages/Project-Anchorage-Sales-Tax-Proposal.aspx. In addition, the sales tax is one piece of a larger initiative, “Project Anchorage”. To see the full Project Anchorage initiative, please visit: https://projectanchorage.com/ November 13, 2024 Taxes for higher-income Anchorage residents would increase more than taxes for middle- and lower-income residents under a municipal sales tax initiative proposed by a coalition of Anchorage business [...]
Impacts Commercial Fisheries Limitations on Gulf of Alaska Communities
Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to document economic and demographic changes for communities of the Gulf of Alaska, Southcentral Alaska, and Southeast Alaska over the period of 1950 to 2023. Over this period several major changes were made to the way that State and Federal commercial fisheries were managed in Alaska waters. These changes -particularly the introduction of the Limited Entry program in the mid-1970s and individual fishing quotas in the mid-1990’s - limited access to fisheries. Changes to fisheries access has implications not just for the fisherman directly included or excluded, but also more broadly to their [...]
Effects of a Proposed Sales Tax on Anchorage Households
Taxes for higher-income Anchorage residents would increase more than taxes for middle- and lower-income residents under a municipal sales tax initiative proposed by a coalition of Anchorage business and civic leaders. However, middle-income residents would pay three times the percentage of income as higher-income residents, and only one-fourth of the percentage paid by lower-income residents. These are some of the findings of a new report prepared by ISER economists, Matthew Berman and Noah Burke, for the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation (AEDC), coalition coordinator. (1) The proposal would levy a one percent retail municipal sales tax set to expire in six to [...]
WEBINAR-Wildfire Risk Assessment in Alaska
Event Type: Webinars, Seminars and Presentations Nov 20, 2024 11:00am - 12:00pm AKST Contact Alison York ayork@alaska.edu Location Online only, please register here. Alaska Fire Science Consortium webinar presented by Jen Schmidt, Associate Professor of Natural Resource Management and Policy, Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER). We present a method to assess wildfire risk to structures based on the wildfire exposure method developed for Alaska. This risk approach uses common spatial datasets gathered by communities and emphasizes that buildings are fuel. Similar to the wildfire exposure approach, the risk assessment process developed is straightforward, easy to understand, and makes [...]
Avoid getting burned: lessons from the McKinley wildfire in rural Alaska, USA
Climate change and increased development in areas where wilderness meets urban spaces (called the Wildland-Urban Interface or WUI) have led to greater wildfire risks for buildings and infrastructure. To help communities in these areas be more resilient, researchers studied what factors might help buildings survive wildfires. This study examined the 2019 McKinley fire in Alaska, a region with growing wildfire risks. Unlike many past studies that focused only on environmental or economic factors, this one examined a mix of elements, like types of vegetation around buildings and features of the buildings themselves. Key findings showed that buildings close to others (~100 [...]