This episode of The Empty Office Podcast features a great conversation with a well-known economics researcher and professor in Alaska. Gunnar Knapp is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER). He worked at ISER from 1981 to 2016. Knapp received a PhD from Yale University in 1981. He is well known in commercial fishery circles for his research into the Alaska salmon industry and world salmon markets. For many years, he taught UAA courses on the Economy of Alaska and the Economics of Fish. You can learn more about Gunar Knapp and his work online at GunnarKnapp.com.
The conversation during this episode touches on several subjects, including fish politics, the University of Alaska, and the importance of pubic radio to the Alaska way of life. At one point in the conversation, the phrase “it’s the economy, stupid” was brought up. The phrase was on a sign that Democratic political strategist James Carville hung at Bill Clinton's campaign headquarters in 1992. While the phrase “it’s the economy, stupid” is often repeated, two other phrases were written on the sign. “Change vs. more of the same” and “Don’t forget health care.”
At the end of this episode, in response to Mike Mason’s “pick a lawmaker” question, Gunner Knapp chose former State Representative Terry Gardiner to sit next to Senator Tobin. Gardiner was born and raised in Ketchikan. He was a commercial fisherman who served in the Alaska House of Representatives in the 1970s. In 1978, at age 28, Gardiner was elected Speaker of the House. He was the founder, CEO, and Chairman of Silver Lining Seafoods and NorQuest Seafoods. Gardiner currently serves as the CEO of Essential Inventions, which works to expand access to healthcare for all people.
