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Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Anchorage
Scott Goldsmith and Rosyland Frazier
In the spring of 2001, the Mayor of Anchorage, George Wuerch, tasked a Kitchen Cabinet Task Force with the goal of developing recommendations to help heal racism in Anchorage. The Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) of the University of Alaska Anchorage agreed to assist the Task Force by conducting a series of focus groups in the community. The purpose of these focus groups was to obtain an assessment of attitudes and opinions about the quality of life in Anchorage from the perspective different racial groups and to solicit recommendations for improving race relations within the community....A more detailed analysis of the focus groups, based on a review of the focus group transcripts, would add more depth and detail, but we feel the main ideas identified during the focus groups are described in this report.
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ANILCA and the Seward Economy
Scott Goldsmith and Stephanie Martin
The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (ANILCA) established the Kenai Fjords National Park and the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge on the doorstep of Seward, a small community on Resurrection Bay in the Kenai Peninsula of south central Alaska. The community originally opposed both, primarily because citizens felt they would preclude economic development through restrictions on the use of the natural resources of the region. In the first decade after statehood, Seward had lost a large share of its economic base virtually overnight as a result of the Good Friday earthquake in 1964. It struggled through the rest of the decade, but was never able to recover its role as the transportation gateway into south central Alaska, which shifted to the port at Anchorage. In the 1970s growth in the seafood and timber industries, the pipeline construction boom, and state government spending combined to help the economy grow. Still, Seward never was a partner in the oil and gas development that stimulated growth in the western half of the Kenai Peninsula, and market driven fluctuations in both the seafood and timber industries were a continuing source of economic instability. As a result when ANILCA became law, Seward residents saw it as another obstacle to development rather than an opportunity. In fact since ANILCA the Seward economy has expanded and strengthened. Annual average employment has increased at a rate of 3.7 percent per year. The economy hasbecome less dependent on the unstable harvesting and processing of seafood and timber. Through the 1980s the seafood and timber industries did expand, but their economic contributions to the community have fallen in the 1990s. The opening of a state prison in 1988 added another source of stable employment and income. Most of the economic growth, particularly since 1990, has been driven by the visitor industry. Although there is no direct way to track this industry, employment in trade, services, and transportation—the sectors that provide the most visitor-related jobs—grew at an annual rate of 5.9 percent. Retail sales from summer visitors have grown at an 9.9 percent annual rate (inflation adjusted) since 1987.
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Effectiveness and Fiscal Impact of Homeward Bound
Sharman Haley, Mary Killorin, Priscilla Hensley, Alexandra Hill, Stephanie Martin, Amy Lynn Wiita, and Ben Ungadruk
The Rural Alaska Community Action Program and the Homeward Bound program contracted with ISER to evaluate Homeward Bound, which began in February 1997. This analysis is based on limited data and a small sample - 33 Homeward Bound clients and 35 people who were referred to the program but did not enter. We found a wide variation in how often people use services and which services they use - and the small sample and wide variation limit the ability of statistics to say whether apparent difference are real of chance variations....There are only an estimate 300 chronic, homeless alcoholics in Anchorage (defined as people who have been picked up by the Community Service Patrol at least 30 time in one year). But they're expensive to the community - because they so frequently use state and city rescue and protection services, emergency medical care, and alcohol treatment facilities, among other things. This report finds that the clients of the Homeward Bound program cost the justice system less, use some city services less frequently, and are less likely to need advanced life support services when an ambulance is required.
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An Assessment of Safety Belt Use In Alaska Summer 2001
Virgene Hanna
To be eligible for certain federal grants, states must document levels of compliance with seatbelt laws. During June, July and August of 2001, ISER researchers recorded and analyzed seat belt use by drivers and front seat passengers in both passenger cars and trucks. In the sample area (which includes 85 percent of the state's population), 63 percent of drivers and 60 percent of outboard passengers were wearing seatbelts. these numbers reflect an increase of just over 1 percent over what was observed in 2000.
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Kids Count Alaska 2001
Virgene Hanna and Claudia Lampman
Children living in small isolated places lead much different lives from those in bigger communities on the road system. Many villages still lack adequate water and sewer systems, and some still rely on honey buckets. In the past 20 years, state and federal agencies have built sanitation systems in many rural places–but it’s an enormous and ongoing job. Part of the problem is that many areas of Alaska require specially adapted systems that are very expensive to build and operate. In this data book, we look at (1) the indicators of children’s well-being the Kids Count program uses nationwide; and (2) other measures that reflect conditions Alaskan children face—and that illustrate the sharp differences among regions of a state twice the size of the original 13 American colonies.
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A Village Fish Processing Plant: Yes or No?
Gunnar Knapp
People in many Alaska villages are interested in starting fish processing plants. A fish processing plant can provide markets for fishermen, processing jobs and income for village residents, and many other benefits. But starting and operating a village fish processing plant is not easy, and fish processing plants may not work in every village. This handbook is to help you get started in planning a fish processing plant in your village. It can help you think clearly about whether or not you should start a fish processing plant. It provides step-by-step advice about questions you need to ask and decisions you need to make. As part of this handbook, we have included case studies of experiences some western Alaska villages have had with fish processing plants. These may give you ideas of things to do–and things to avoid–when you are thinking about a fish processing plant for your village.
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Challenges and Strategies for the Alaska Salmon Industry
Gunnar Knapp
Alaska salmon industry is facing many different challenges. The problem is not just competition from farmed salmon. Other challenges include variable and uncertain salmon runs, overproduction for traditional canned salmon markets, changes in consumer demand, and the current world economic slowdown - to name just a few.... Experience - from Alaska and elsewhere - shows that it is important to be very careful in establishing rights-based management systems....The issues are complex.
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A Review of Denali Highway Lifecycle Costs
Eric Larson
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT/PF) has considered several alternatives for maintaining the Denali Highway. The Alaska Center for the Environment asked the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) to review published estimates of the cost of maintaining the road to see if they are consistent with standard economic methodology. To conduct this review we relied primarily on two DOT/PF memorandums and a spreadsheet. DOT/PF confined that these documents are the most recent estimates of several relevant publications listed at the end of this report....We supplemented this information with several relevant publications listed at the end of this report. The remainder of this report summarizes our review of maintenance and construction costs of the Denali Highway. We describe the data used in the study, present the primary findings, describe the sensitivity of results to changes in assumptions, suggest future areas of research, and make final recommendations.
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Preliminary Estimates of the Economic Impact of the Anchorage Smoking Ordinance
Eric Larson
This report outlines preliminary estimates of the economic impact of an ordinance that implemented a ban on smoking in Anchorage restaurants and bars (2000 CIA). This analysis found that there was no detectable negative effect on employment in the hospitality industry by August of 2001. Between 2000 and 2001, employment increased by 10% in restaurants that went from restricted smoking before the ordinance to non-smoking after the ordinance, while employment increased by only 6% in restaurants that continued to allow restricted smoking after the ordinance.
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Trends in Alaska's People and Economy
Stephanie Martin, Mary Killorin, and Linda Leask
This 16 page document outlines expected trends for Alaska's people and economy between 2001 and 2020. It was prepared for the Alaska Humanities Forum in October 2001 under the theme of "Alaska 20/20 Partnership - Bringing Alaskans Together to Chart Our Future".
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Alcohol Control and Injury Death in Alaska Native Communities: Wet, Damp and Dry under Alaska's Local Option Law
Matthew D. Berman, Teresa Hull, and Phillip May
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Alcohol Control by Referendum in Northern Native Communities: The Alaska Local Option Law
Matthew Berman and Teresa Hull
When Alaska became a state in 1959, state laws removed control of alcohol regulation from the federal government and Native communities. In 1981, however, the state legislature changed alcohol laws to give residents broad powers to regulate how alcohol comes into their communities via a local option referendum. By mid-1999, 112 small communities had held 197 alcohol control elections under the state law. Sixty-nine percent of these elections added new restrictions on alcohol, while 13% removed restrictions previously imposed. The remaining 18% of elections did not receive a majority vote needed to change the existing status. Most communities passing local option restrictions chose to ban sale and importation. Although most of these elections occurred during the first eight years after the law was passed, elections continue to occur as the law evolves and as communities debate the merits of alcohol control. Although growing evidence suggests that the local option law may reduce adverse effects of alcohol abuse in Alaska Native communities, its most important contributioncmay be to restore to these communities a limited form of self-government.
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Cost Analysis of Selected Flush Haul Water and Wastewater Systems in Rural Alaska
Steve Colt
This research memorandum presents and compares estimates of the operating costs of selected flush haul sanitation systems in rural Alaska. The estimates are based on actual operating experience. An accurate picture of operating costs is important when evaluating flush haul systems because communities are generally responsible for paying these costs. People need to know these costs in advance when choosing among alternative systems.In previous work (Colt 1994) I estimated life-cycle costs for prospective flush haul systems in Buckland and Mekoryuk. These systems have now been operating for several years. In addition, flush haul systems have recently been installed in Galena, Napakiak, Nunapitchuk, Quinhagak, Shishmaref, and Tuntutuliak. As part of the Alaska Native Health Board Operation and Maintenance Demonstration Project, we collected operating data from the communities of Buckland, Galena, and Nunapitchuk. Additional data for systems in Mekoryuk, Quinhagak, and Tuntutuliak has been collected by others (Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation 1998). This paper therefore considers the six communities listed above. This work was undertaken with the assistance and contributions of the Alaska Native Health Board Operation & Maintenance Demonstration Project.
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Kids Count Alaska 2000
Norman Dinges, Claudia Lampman, and Shawna Ragan
Children living in small isolated places lead much different lives from those in bigger communities on the road system. Many villages still lack adequate water and sewer systems, and some still rely on honey buckets. In the past 20 years, state and federal agencies have built sanitation systems in many rural places–but it’s an enormous and ongoing job. Part of the problem is that many areas of Alaska require specially adapted systems that are very expensive to build and operate. In this data book, we look at (1) the indicators of children’s well-being the Kids Count program uses nationwide; and (2) other measures that reflect conditions Alaskan children face—and that illustrate the sharp differences among regions of a state twice the size of the original 13 American colonies.
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Alaska Economic Database: Charting Four Decades of Change
Scott Goldsmith
This document contains data collated over four decades between 1961 and 1998. Data included in this document relate to employment, Alaska and state gross product, earnings, wages, salaries, labor market, price indices, and other economic indicators considered to be important at the time of collection.
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Preliminary Investigation of the Economic Effects of Critical Habitat Designation for the Spectacled Eider and Steller's Eider on Alaska's North Slope
Scott Goldsmith
This report was prepared for BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. and Phillips Alaska Inc. in response to the call for comments on a potential Critical Habitat Designation.
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Tax Cap 2000: Five Economic Studies
Scott Goldsmith and Alexandra Hill
Passage of the tax cap would result in a substantial shift in purchasing power away from local government toward households, the federal government, state government, certain businesses, and non-residents. It would reduce the cost of owning property and impact the price of real estate. It would change the way local government finances public services. It would change the quality of life. Whether one views these economic changes as positive or negative depends on them perspective of the viewer. Clearly the tax cap would have far reaching economic effects that should be carefully considered before deciding whether it would be good or bad for the economy.
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Evaluation of the Alaska Native Health Board Sanitation Facility Operation and Maintenance Program: Phase II
Sharman Haley
The Alaska Native Health Board is administering a demonstration grant program intended to improve the capacity of rural Alaska communities to operate and maintain their water and sewer systems. This multi-year program began in 1996 and is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wastewater Management. The Institute of Social and Economic Research at the University of Alaska Anchorage is evaluating the individual projects and the program overall. This report is the final evaluation of the 16 Phase II community projects for which data collection was substantially complete as of September 30, 1999. Phase II started in 1997. A coordinating committee for the project reviewed applications from 68 communities. It selected 18 whose proposed plans focused on improving operations and maintenance by improving utility structure and management and by educating customers about utility operations. ANHB also offered two Phase I communities continuation funding. We report here on 16 rather than 20 communities because several extended their projects past September 1999 and one was dropped from the program. There are several parts to this evaluation included with this report.
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Financing Water and Sewer Operation and Maintenance in Rural Alaska
Sharman Haley
Are existing sanitation systems simply too expensive for many Alaska villages? Or could small utilities operate in the black if they increased their charges and toughened collection policies? How much difference do village leadership and commitment to good sanitation make? Could alternative technologies provide adequate sanitation for less? To help shed some light on these questions, the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Alaska Anchorage prepared this volume. It presents seven recent analyses, by various authors, of some aspects of financing water and sewer operations and maintenance in rural Alaska. We added an introductory chapter, a final chapter drawing some conclusions from the various analyses and discussing policy issues, and an executive summary. The analyses look at methods villages use to pay for O&M; the share of small sanitation systems operating in the red; the costs of selected closed-haul systems (one alternative to piped systems); the fiscal capacity of small rural communities; and steps that might help small sanitation systems meet their costs. These studies are not comprehensive, and in some cases they raise as many questions as they answer. But they provide valuable information on a public policy issue Alaska will continue to grapple with for the foreseeable future.
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Evaluation of the Alaska Native Health Board Sanitation Facility Operation and Maintenance Program: Final Report on Phase III Projects and Extended Phase II Projects
Sharman Haley, Eric Larson, Rosyland Frazier, and Patricia DeRoche
The Alaska Native Health Board (ANHB) has a multi-year project funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wastewater Management, to administer sanitation facilities operations and maintenance (O&M) demonstration grants in rural Alaska. Nine projects were funded in the first wave, beginning in April 1996. Nineteen projects, including two carry- overs from the first wave, were funded in the second wave, which started in April 1997. The third and last wave, with seven projects, started in April 1998. The Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Alaska Anchorage is monitoring and evaluating the individual sanitation facility O&M projects and the program overall. EPA initially funded this work; it is now funded by ANHB. The research design and the underlying program design differ somewhat across the three phases. The innovation in the Phase III design was the addition of mentor communities to assist project communities. This report comprises the final evaluation for the seven Phase III community projects and four Phase II projects that extended beyond the deadline for the Phase II report.
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An Assessment of Safety Belt Use In Alaska Summer 2000
Virgene Hanna
In 1984, the Alaska State Legislature passed a law requiring children aged six and under to be restrained while being transported in a vehicle. this law was amended in February of 1989 to require the use of safety belts by children under sixteen and by adults. To be eligible for certain federal grants, states must document levels of compliance with seatbelt laws. During June, July and August of 2000, ISER researchers recorded and analyzed seat belt use by drivers and front seat passengers in both passenger cars and trucks. In the sample area (which includes 85 percent of the state's population), 62 percent of drivers and 61 percent of outboard passengers were wearing seatbelts. these numbers reflect an increase of less than 1 percent over 1999.
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Capping Property Taxes: What's Likely to Happen?
Alexandra Hill
On November 7, Alaskans will vote on whether to cap property taxes at 1 percent of assessed value—which would cost local governments 20 percent of property tax collections in the first year and 40 percent as time passed. Supporters of the tax cap say property taxes are too high, property owners pay an unfair share of local government costs, and government is inefficient. Yet local spending in Anchorage and elsewhere hasn’t changed much in recent years, if you take inflation and population growth into account. And Anchorage’s local government employs fewer workers per resident than almost any U.S. metropolitan area. So what’s going on? Like most fiscal matters in Alaska, it relates to the rise and fall of oil wealth.
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