First Alaskans Institute has heard the same concerns from communities across Alaska: the cost of living keeps rising, fuel is expensive, and essential services can be hard to reach. To help, we’ve launched a phased economic study grounded in community priorities, strengths, and knowledge. 

The Rural Alaska Native Economic Study is currently in Phase One, which includes a literature review to identify and aggregate publicly available data and existing studies related to our statewide economics. We are reviewing existing studies, data, and resources to understand what is already known, identify gaps, and build on work already underway. This is a critical first step to develop and identify the best framework that will be utilized in the second and third phases. We recognize the large scale and scope of this work, and from that understanding, in this phase we are also establishing the team who will bring the perspectives necessary for the success of this work.  

Phase Two will involve a scoping review informed by the literature review. The scoping review will help to further define the study’s focus by answering key questions that can be explored through existing available data, while also helping to identify where the gaps are in the data that would be beneficial to gather in phase three of this study. In phase three, we will work with participating communities to help shape the research and develop and approve survey questions and then begin data collection in partnership with the communities who would like to participate. 

The study will explore village economies, household costs, and community well-being, including how policies affect everyday life. We will include a technical report with community narratives, an annotated guide to existing studies and data, and a presentation to support Tribal leadership, Alaska Native corporation leadership, and policymakers. We look forward to developing this resource and ensuring our communities are informed and prepared to move forward as we approach change and collectively build the future we want together. 

We are excited to share the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) will be a contributing partner to support this work. If you or your organization have knowledge, experience, or capacity to support this study, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out at [email protected].