Ted Egan – Zoning, Housing, and Economic Growth in San Francisco

[Slides]Zoning, Housing, and Economic Growth in San Francisco – Ted Egan, Ph.D., City and County of San Francisco’s Office of the Controller

[Recording]Zoning, Housing, and Economic Growth in San Francisco – Ted Egan, Ph.D., City and County of San Francisco’s Office of the Controller

California’s housing market currently ranks as the third-most expensive in the nation, with eight of the top twenty American cities in terms of highest median home prices belonging to the state. San Francisco only trails their neighbor San Jose as the most costly United States cities to live in, making it an ideal area to analyze when trying to determine what is driving the recent uptick in housing prices.

Please feel free to join REMI for a guest webinar, “Zoning, Housing, and Economic Growth in San Francisco,” on Wednesday, August 28th from 2 to 3 p.m. (ET) that will be presented by Chief Economist Ted Egan, Ph.D. from the City and County of San Francisco’s Office of the Controller.

Dr. Egan’s office researched and examined the intricate relationship between zoning, housing, and economic growth in their city. With their compiled research and the REMI model, the office was able to estimate the sensitivity of housing production to hypothetical changes in land use controls and permitted densities.

Once those estimates were generated, researchers began calculating how housing prices and amenities would shift in the face of increased housing production. The REMI model was utilized at this point in the analysis to determine the net economic impact of decreased housing prices, increased construction, reduced amenities, and diminished employment on land that would likely support housing if controls were relaxed.

This webinar presentation by Dr. Egan will assess the housing trends that are affecting metropolitan areas across the country and discuss how housing policies can be monitored or forecasted using dynamic economic modeling.

The Economics of Universal Healthcare: Case Study of Vermont Public Options

[Slides]The Economics of Universal Healthcare: Case Study of Vermont Public Options – Keith Waters, REMI

[Recording]The Economics of Universal Healthcare: Case Study of Vermont Public Options – Keith Waters, REMI

The Democratic presidential debates have focused heavily on candidates’ universal healthcare proposals, causing voters to become more interested in healthcare policies and the economic factors involved.

Although never enacted, the state of Vermont’s Act 128 was an early attempt at achieving some of the aspects of healthcare proposals suggested in today’s political landscape.

Economist Keith Waters, Ph.D. will be presenting a REMI webinar on these options and proposals that is scheduled for Tuesday, August 27th from 2 to 3 p.m. (ET) entitled “The Economics of Universal Healthcare: Case Study of Vermont Public Options.”

Act 128 led to the creation of three proposals for accomplishing universal healthcare in Vermont: a government-run single-payer system, a government-administered public option, and a public-private single-payer system. This webinar presents the economic impact analysis on Vermont for these three options, as evaluated by Hsiao, Kappel, and Gruber in the original report on the future of the state’s healthcare system.

Demonstrations on how to assess the economic effects of healthcare reform using dynamic economic modeling and the methodologies implemented in the 2011 impact analysis conducted by Harvard University, Policy Integrity, LLC, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will be included in this upcoming discussion on the potential for universal healthcare.

Incentivized Economic Development Program Review: Best Practices

[Slides]Incentivized Economic Development Program Review: Best Practices – Chris Judson & Shane Vyskocil, REMI

[Recording]Incentivized Economic Development Program Review: Best Practices – Chris Judson & Shane Vyskocil, REMI

The net impacts of proposed economic development policies have become more important as regional governments reconsider the value of major project investments. Incentives are now crucial to attracting new business to an area, but concern is growing over whether the amount offered exceeds the benefit of additional revenue.

Please feel free to join REMI Managing Economic Associate Chris Judson and Economic Associate Shane Vyskocil for their webinar, “Incentivized Economic Development Program Review – Best Practices,” that will be hosted on Wednesday, September 4th from 2 to 3 p.m. (ET).

This discussion details the current landscape for regional economic development, inclusion of equitable and sustainable growth strategies, and the capabilities of the REMI model. Our associates are prepared to evaluate the net economic, fiscal, and demographic impacts of select economic development policies.

The presentation includes reviews of current incentive program evaluation procedures from select states, establishing key performance indicators, and recommended data requirements. They will also be exploring “but for” sensitivity analyses, differences in ROI methodologies, and the importance of multi-year analysis during this webinar.

Energy Diplomacy: The Economic and Environmental Impacts of an Oil Shortage

[Slides]Energy Diplomacy: The Economic and Environmental Impacts of an Oil Shortage – Harry Walsh & Shane Vyskocil, REMI

[Recording]Energy Diplomacy: The Economic and Environmental Impacts of an Oil Shortage – Harry Walsh & Shane Vyskocil, REMI

A closure of the Strait of Hormuz seems more and more likely as tensions between Iran and the United States escalate. With daily shipping volumes reaching approximately 20 million barrels of crude oil and liquids, the Strait of Hormuz represents nearly 30% of all seaborne petroleum trade.

Please feel free to join REMI for an upcoming webinar, “Energy Diplomacy: The Economic and Environmental Impacts of an Oil Shortage,” that economic associates Harry Walsh and Shane Vyskocil will be presenting on Wednesday, August 21st from 2 to 3 p.m. (ET) that demonstrates how dynamic economic modeling can be applied in the evaluation of energy impacts related to economic and fiscal resilience, in addition to sustainability, economic growth, and equity.

Closing the Strait of Hormuz would have substantial impacts on global oil markets, which could potentially lead to large spikes in pricing and oil shortages. Although the importance of imported oil has declined in the U.S. due to increased production from tight oil plays, imports via the Strait of Hormuz still account for 7% of total U.S. petroleum consumption.

The American economy would experience far-reaching impacts resulting from the closing of this Iranian strait as oil has become an integral part of many U.S. production processes, while also playing a significant role in determining national transportation and fuel costs. By altering the composition of energy inputs, shocks to energy markets can make reaching environmental goals far more complicated.

Policymakers attempting to ameliorate these effects must first understand their cause and quantify their impacts. The E3+ model fills this need, extending REMI’s economic insights into the field of energy and the environment. This webinar will explore how to examine changes in energy policy within the REMI model and potential methodological approaches to implement when analyzing alterations made to major industries.