Economic Development in Hawai‘i

Patricia Yu is Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu (UHWO). She has been teaching a course called Hawai‘i's Economy at UHWO for over a decade, in addition to courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and environmental economics. Her long-standing commitment to studying Hawai‘i’s unique economic structure is reflected both in her teaching and research. Yu’s research focuses on spatial econometrics and semiparametric techniques, particularly in estimating the valuation of bundled goods and environmental amenities/disamenities through hedonic pricing models. Her work emphasizes applications in regional economics and Hawai‘i’s economy, addressing issues such as land use, housing markets, and case studies on environmental disasters such as the Maui wildfires and the Red Hill fuel leak. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and featured in conference proceedings, including the Hawai‘i International Conference on Education, the Global Conference on Business and Finance, and the Eurasia Business and Economics Society. She has also presented her research at the annual meeting of the Hawai‘i Economic Association and regularly attends conferences and seminars related to regional economic development. Her current research interests include housing affordability, environmental valuation, and the future of Hawai‘i’s economy. Yu earned her PhD in economics from Northern Illinois University.