Research

Can we build a sustainable and just economy in Hawai’i? And if so, what role can investors and seekers of capital play to provide the essential building blocks?

Hawaiʻi Investment Ready (HIR), along with community partners, designed the Hawaiʻi Capital Scan as a framework to explore these questions and help investors and seekers of capital better understand:

Capital stocks: The capital goods (i.e.grants, debt, equity) and their structures that are available in an economy at any point in time; and

Capital flows: The movement of capital that is a consequence of cash flow generated from investment activity in the private, philanthropic and government sectors.

The inaugural capital scan focuses on the Hawaiʻi Food System – a spectrum of essential products and services across the food system value chain that impacts residents and our economy statewide. This novel framework can also be applied to a range of social and environmental themes, such as shelter, healthcare, and climate change.

Why do capital stocks and flows matter? The failure to coordinate capital across Hawaiʻi’s food systems is resulting in inefficiencies that are impacting the sustainability and resilience of the sector. When we coordinate capital for Hawaiʻi’s food systems, we have an opportunity to improve the impact of capital for both the investors and the seekers of capital as well as strengthen the foundation of the sector.

Download the full report here.