Working for a better economy, better government and a better society
Will Hawaii be the next Puerto Rico?
A top economic researcher who recently studied the impact of the Jones Act on Puerto Rico spoke recently at two events in Hawaii sponsored by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. John Dunham, president of the economic consulting firm John Dunham & Associates, talked...
#AuditTheRail finds champion in Heidi Tsuyenoshi
It’s been a long time coming, but thanks to new Honolulu City Council member Heidi Tsuneyoshi, representing District 2, it’s finally going to get done: a forensic audit of the city’s wildly over-budget and behind-schedule rail project. Tsuneyoshi met with Grassroot...
Leasehold state housing won’t solve housing crisis
The Hawaii Legislature is considering forming a new state agency that would build high-rise condominium units on state land that it would sell for about $300,000 each under 99-year leases. But the proposal, called ALOHA Homes, would not be the answer to...
Akina updates ‘808 State Update’ on contracting report
It didn’t take long for the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s newest policy report, “How to revive contracting as a policy option in Hawaii,” to receive some thoughtful media attention. Publicly released on Wednesday, March 13, the...
Akina talks rent control on ‘Lars Larson Show’
Oregon last month became the first state to adopt statewide mandatory rent control, which bars landlords from raising their rents more than 7 percent a year, plus inflation. On Monday, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii President Keli‘i Akina spoke on the popular national...