Research Summary

My research is focused on environmental and labor economics in developing countries. Specifically, I'm interested in understanding how local institutions manage natural resources and public service delivery, and how management effectiveness is shaped by market incentives and the nature of the institutions. I'm particularly interested in settings where government monitoring and enforcement are limited.

Publications

"Evidence of Market-Driven Size-Selective Fishing and the Mediating Effects of Biological and Institutional Factors"
Authors: Sheila Walsh, Allison Wentz, Octavio Aburto-Oropeza, Martin Maxey, Sriniketh Nagavarapu, and Heather Leslie
Forthcoming in Ecological Applications: pdf

Working Papers

"Implications of Unleashing Brazlian Ethanol: Trading Off Renewable Fuel for How Much Forest and Savanna Land?"
Most Recent Version: pdf
"Alternative Income Program Undermines Conservation Due to Unexpected Side Effects of Increased Incomes"
(with Sheila Walsh and Theodore Groves)
Most Recent Version: pdf [Revise and resubmit]
"Policy Options for Food Assistance in India: Lessons from the US"
(Conference discussion paper, with Thomas MaCurdy)
Most Recent Version: pdf
"Informal Monitoring Mechanisms in Public Service Delivery: Evidence from the Public Distribution System in India"
(with Sheetal Sekhri)
Currently Under Revision
"Profiling the Plight of Disconnected Youth in America"
(with Thomas MaCurdy and Bryan Keating)
Most Recent Version: pdf

In Progress

"Resource Management in Low-Monitoring Settings: When Can Granting Cooperatives Property Rights be Successful?"
(with Octavio Aburto-Oropeza, Heather Leslie, Leila Sievanen and Sheila Walsh)
"Fishing Cooperatives' Responses to Market and Environmental Changes"
(with Chris Costello, et al.)
"Reforming Social Protection Through NGO Delivery: The Public Distribution System in Punjab"
(with Sheetal Sekhri)
"Power Politics: Implications of Corruption and Political Accountability for Groundwater in India"
(with Sheetal Sekhri)
"What Service Categories Drive Regional Variation in Medicare Spending?"
(with Thomas MaCurdy, Jay Bhattacharya, et al.)
"Indoor Air Pollution and Choice of Cookstoves"
(with Mark Thurber and Himani Phadke)
"Household Schooling Decisions During Argentina's Financial Crisis"
(with Florencia Borrescio-Higa)