When people hear the word economics, they often think about charts, policies, or numbers in a report. But in reality, economics is something we experience every day. It shapes how people work, how communities grow, how opportunities are created, and even how societies make decisions about their future.
Economics and Society is my space to reflect on the relationship between economics and society through my own experiences and observations. Before returning to school as a student, I spent time working in public service and entrepreneurship, where I saw how economic ideas and policies can influence real lives and communities. Those experiences continue to shape the questions I ask today as I study and learn more about economic systems.
Here, I explore topics such as economic development, sustainability, social responsibility, and the ways markets interact with culture and community. These reflections are part of my ongoing journey to understand how economies can support not only growth and efficiency, but also human well-being, resilience, and a more sustainable future for the generations that follow.
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Bringing Back the Quiet Luxury of Hawaiʻi
What Hawaiʻi can learn from Six Senses Con Dao and Amanoi The world has become so loud that silence now feels expensive. Not silence in an empty way.Silence in a safe way. The kind of silence where nobody is demanding anything from you. Where the night stays dark enough to see shadows moving across the…
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Maybe Hawai’i has been telling its story too “Cheaply”
Recently, I watched Prada Re-Nylon: Stewards of the Ocean with Benedict Cumberbatch. What fascinated me was that Prada was not selling clothes.They were selling awareness.A feeling.A responsibility. And suddenly I thought about Hawaiʻi. Maybe Hawaiʻi has been telling its story too cheaply to the world. People come here for beaches, hotels, shopping, and photos.But the…
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Hawai’i looks Rich?
There is a paradox at the heart of Hawai’i economy. On the surface, the islands look prosperous: luxury shopping centers, million-dollar condos, record tourism numbers, a steady influx of federal money, and some of the highest average incomes in the United States. But beneath this visible wealth lies a structural fragility that most people don’t…
Heidi Ahihi 