Bureau of Business and Economic Research

It takes a genius to make things simple, especially in the case of the adequacy of electricity supply. Few of us have exposure to how the generation, distribution, and transportation of energy to every city, home, and business actually works. But that hasn’t stopped us from having strong opinions on everything from retiring coal plants to banning bitcoin miners. Listen to today's podcast here: https://bit.ly/3CDaPUJ

New Podcast Episode: The Logic of Gathering Data When you buy something, you want to know what it costs. When you accept a job, you want to know how much it pays. Those are obvious examples of how information helps us make decisions. Despite a 250-year long history of the government gathering data on population and the economy, some want to restrict it. Listen to today's podcast here :https://bit.ly/3ZgjR2F

NEW EPISODE: The Impact of New Residents Many of us profess to be unhappy about new residents in Montana. Judging from the propaganda and political ads, those who stay put are to be celebrated, while those who have arrived from elsewhere are not. Yet research suggests that new residents add to the economy. #bureauofbusiness #economy #universityofmontana #missoula #podcast #montanaeconomy Listen to Dr. Patrick Barkey's most recent podcast to hear more: https://bit.ly/4exQEEY?

When people look at the way income is distributed between rich and poor, the common perception is that the upper 1% of earners are getting away with murder when it comes to taxes. Some researchers say otherwise. #income #taxes #economy #business #investments #research #Montanaeconomy #MT Listen to Dr. Patrick Barkey's most recent podcast to hear more: https://bit.ly/3VnoLcb

NEW EPISODE: Do Cities Need to be Forced to be More Affordable? The solution to housing unaffordability - to build more housing - is not welcome in many parts of the state. Let those other places become more densely populated while we keep our big lawns and quiet streets. If we think that way, the crisis gets worse. Learn More Here: https://bit.ly/4hVQcDy

NEW EPISODE: Regulation Helps Make Businesses Bigger We're a big country - 330 million people. Simply attaching the word "big" to anything turns it into a villain. Big cities, big pharma, big banks. What makes businesses big? Efficiency is one reason, but government regulations often force companies out of business. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3YRvFqY

NEW EPISODE: Nobody is Ready for Medicare Reform The news of who the next president is doesn’t change the budget imbalance that neither candidate wanted to address which will be moving to center stage. Medicare reform is crucial. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4hM5fPW

NEW EPISODE: The Need for Electricity is About to Surge The demand for electricity could increase by 30% in the next 10 years. The push to electrify everything from cars to leaf blowers, as well as the voracious appetite for power for data centers, will change our needs for electricity.? Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4fLodEq

We would like to welcome our new director to BBER and the The University of Montana - College of Business. Dr. Jeffrey Michael was selected after a nationwide search. Jeffrey Michael joins us from the University of the Pacific where he has served as director of Public Policy at the McGeorge School of Law since 2021. Specializing in economics with decades of experience in regional economic forecasting, he was previously the executive director of the Center for Business and Policy Research and the Director of the Business Forecasting Center in the Eberhardt School of Business at the University of Pacific for 13 years. “BBER has a tremendous legacy of helping business, government and the public understand the economy of Montana,” says Michael. “I am excited to contribute to BBER’s mission and engage with Montana business and civic leaders on critical and emerging economic issues.” Longtime BBER Director Patrick Barkey will stay on as research director until June 2025 when he plans to retire. “We are truly fortunate to be bringing on a new leader with the experience and skills of Jeff Michael to the state of Montana,” Barkey says.?“He will hit the ground running in putting his own stamp on everything that we do.” Please help us welcome Dr. Michael to University of Montana !

Housing – that most basic need that any successful social system must provide – is shaping up as a huge failure point in our economy, especially in Montana. It’s just crazy expensive, especially in the faster growing parts. How expensive? Statewide, housing prices today are 60 percent higher than the beginning of 2020. Median home prices in Bozeman are now approaching $1 million. Join us for our Midyear Economic Update coming this summer to 7 Montana cities. This 90-minute program features an assessment of the U.S. and Montana economies and a fresh look at policies and other actions that could move the needle on housing affordability. Registration is $35 and includes breakfast, lunch, or appetizers depending on your location. Register here: https://lnkd.in/eDMEqHd