Steven Bond-Smith Economist, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Commentary

Writing for a general audience

Shorter pieces written for a public audience: blog posts, opinion writing, quarterly economic commentary, and video.

Press coverage that quotes my work is on the media page.

Commentary by topic

Is Hawaiʻi being left behind?

Hawaiʻi's economy has grown slowly for decades. After adjusting for the cost of living, Hawaiʻi looks a lot like left-behind places, near the bottom of state rankings in economic outcomes.

See this work

Diversifying Hawaiʻi's economy

Identifying where Hawaiʻi's economy could realistically diversify and designing tailored economic policies to support growth and diversification.

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Quarterly economic commentary

Short pieces and videos accompanying the quarterly forecasts, in Hawaiʻi with UHERO and earlier in Western Australia with BCEC.

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Productivity

Why some places produce more per hour worked than others, and what innovation, skills, distance and remote work have to do with it.

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Written commentary

  1. Are people leaving Hawaiʻi because of high prices, or low incomes?

    Bond-Smith, S. and Schwartz, E.

    UHERO Insights, 2026

    Published version

    In the pressHawaiʻi Free Press, KHON2 News, University of Hawaiʻi News, National Today

  2. The lost decade never ended in Hawaiʻi

    Bond-Smith, S. and Schwartz, E.

    UHERO Insights, 2026

    Published version

    In the pressHawaiʻi Free Press, El-Balad, University of Hawaiʻi News

  3. Is Hawaiʻi being left behind?

    Bond-Smith, S. and Schwartz, E.

    UHERO Insights, 2026

    Published version

    In the pressHawaii News Now, University of Hawaiʻi News, Big Island Now

  4. Beyond the hype: What research shows about the value of college in the AI era

    Inafuku, R. and Bond-Smith, S.

    UHERO Insights, 2026

    Published version

    In the pressUniversity of Hawaiʻi News

  5. Potential opportunities to diversify the economy of Hawaiʻi

    Bond-Smith, S. and Ilamkar, S.

    UHERO Insights, 2024

    Published version

  6. Reducing fire risk and restoring value to fallow agricultural lands

    Bond-Smith, S., Bremer, L., Burnett, K., Trauernicht, P.C., and Wada, C.

    UHERO Insights, 2023

    Published version

    In the pressKITV Island News

  7. Hawaiʻi's long-term economic recovery after COVID-19

    Bond-Smith, S.

    UHERO Insights, 2023

    Published version UHERO Focus video

  8. WRSA Newsletter cover

    Regional science in Hawaiʻi

    Bond-Smith, S. and Coffman, M.

    WRSA Newsletter, 2023

    Published version

  9. Is Oʻahu's new Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy strategic enough?

    Bond-Smith, S.

    UHERO Insights, 2022

    Published version

    In the pressHonolulu Civil Beat

  10. The cost of excess inflation in Hawaiʻi

    Bond-Smith, D., Bond-Smith, S., and Bonham, C.S.

    UHERO Insights, 2022

    Published version

  11. The importance of understanding distance and scale

    Bond-Smith, S.

    UHERO Insights, 2021

    Published version

  12. BCEC Quarterly Economic Commentary cover

    BCEC Quarterly Economic Commentary, Issue 13

    Bond-Smith, S., Cassells, R., Duncan, A., and Salazar, S.

    BCEC Quarterly Economic Commentary, 2021

    Published version

  13. Remote areas miss WFH benefits

    Bond-Smith, S.

    Business News, 2021

    Published version

  14. WA an early mover on recovery

    Bond-Smith, S.

    Business News, 2021

    Published version

  15. BCEC Quarterly Economic Commentary cover

    BCEC Quarterly Economic Commentary, Issue 12

    Bond-Smith, S., Cassells, R., and Salazar, S.

    BCEC Quarterly Economic Commentary, 2021

    Published version

  16. University funding changes do not hit the mark

    Bond-Smith, S. and Cassells, R.

    The Australian, 2020

    Published version

  17. More hospitals will not cure Australia's ailing health-care system. There's a more efficient way

    Bond-Smith, S., Duncan, A., Mavisakalyan, A., and Tarverdi, Y.

    The Conversation, 2019

    Published version

  18. Location, location, location: What's holding back an Australian ideas boom

    Bond-Smith, S., Cassells, R., and Duncan, A.

    The Conversation, 2016

    Published version

Video

  1. Storms and shocks bring headwinds to Hawaiʻi

    Bond-Smith, S.

    Hōʻike Kauaʻi Community Media, 2026

    Published version

  2. UHERO Focus (YouTube) cover

    Hawaiʻi moves beyond recession, but slowly

    Bond-Smith, S.

    UHERO Focus (YouTube), 2026

    Published version

  3. UHERO Focus (YouTube) cover

    Beyond the price of paradise: Is Hawaiʻi being left behind?

    Bond-Smith, S.

    UHERO Focus (YouTube), 2026

    Published version

  4. UHERO Focus (YouTube) cover

    Deteriorating US outlook weighs on Hawaiʻi prospects

    Bond-Smith, S.

    UHERO Focus (YouTube), 2025

    Published version

  5. UHERO Focus (YouTube) cover

    Federal policies push Hawaiʻi toward mild recession

    Bond-Smith, S.

    UHERO Focus (YouTube), 2025

    Published version

  6. UHERO Focus (YouTube) cover

    Hawaiʻi's long-term economic recovery after COVID-19

    Bond-Smith, S.

    UHERO Focus (YouTube), 2023

    Published version

  7. UHERO Focus (YouTube) cover

    Second quarter forecast 2022

    Bond-Smith, S., Fuleky, P., and Moore, C.

    UHERO Focus (YouTube), 2022

    Published version