Research

Working Papers

• "Can Food Transfers Reduce Child Stunting? Evidence from the Indian Public Distribution System" (with Adi Shrinivas and Kathy Baylis). Revise and resubmit at the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics.

• "Labor Intensity, Market Structure, and the Effect of Economic Activities on Civil Conflict" (with Joe Felter and Yoko Yamasaki). Submitted.

• "Can Economic Opportunities Reshape Gender Norms among Religious Youth? Evidence from Northern Nigeria" (with Oeindrila Dube, Marcus Holmlund, Eric Mvukiheye and Emily Crawford). Draft available soon.

Peer-Reviewed Publications:

• Nino, Gustavo, Kathy Baylis, and Benjamin Crost. 2023. Conflict and small‐scale investment: Evidence from the Colombian peace agreement. Journal of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association 2 : 67-83. 

• Chowdhury, Reajul, Benjamin Crost, and Vivian Hoffmann. 2022. Marketing fortified rice: Effects of aspirational messaging and association with free distribution. Food Policy 112: 102346.

• Bhanot, S. P., Crost, B., Leight, J., Mvukiyehe, E., & Yedgenov, B.  2021. Can community service grants foster social and economic integration for youth? A randomized trial in Kazakhstan. Journal of Development Economics, 153: 102718. 

• Gatti, N., Baylis, K. and B. Crost. 2021. Can irrigation infrastructure mitigate the effect of climate shocks on conflict?  Evidence from Indonesia. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 103(1): 211-231.

• Crost, Benjamin, Joseph H. Felter, Hani Mansour and Daniel I. Rees. 2020. Narrow Incumbent Victories and and Post-Election Conflict: Evidence from the Philippines. World Bank Economic Review, 34(3): 767-789.

• Crost, B. and J. Felter. 2020. Extractive Resource Policy and Civil Conflict: Evidence from Mining Reform in the Philippines. Journal of Development Economics, 144: 102443.

• Anderson. D.M., B. Crost and D.I. Rees. 2020. Do Economic Downturns Fuel Racial Animus? Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 175: 9-18.

• Crost, Benjamin, and Joseph H. Felter. 2020. Export Crops and Civil Conflict. Journal of the European Economic Association, 18(3): 1484-1520. 

• Anderson, D. Mark, Benjamin Crost and Daniel I. Rees. 2018. Wet Laws, Drinking Establishments, and Violent Crime. Economic Journal, 128 (611): 1333-1366.

• Crost, Benjamin, Claire Duquennois, Joseph H. Felter and Daniel I. Rees. 2018. Climate Change, Agricultural Production and Civil Conflict: Evidence from the Philippines.  Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 88 (3): 379-395. 

• Crost, Benjamin and Andrew Friedson. 2017. Recessions and health revisited: New findings from working age adults.  Economics and Human Biology, 27: 241-247.

• Crost, Benjamin. 2016. Can Workfare Programs Offset the Negative Psychological Effect of Unemployment? Economics Letters, 140 (3): 42-47.

• Crost Benjamin, Joseph H. Felter and Patrick B. Johnston. 2016. Conditional Cash Transfers, Civil Conflict and Insurgent Influence: Experimental Evidence from the Philippines. Journal of Development Economics, 118 (1): 171-182.

• Crost, Benjamin and Christian Traeger. 2014. Optimal CO2 Mitigation under Damage Risk Valuation. Nature Climate Change, 4 (7): 631-636. 

• Crost, Benjamin, Joseph H. Felter and Patrick B. Johnston. 2014. Aid Under Fire: Development Projects and Civil Conflict.  American Economic Review, 104 (6): 1833-56.

Press coverage: Washington Post, Economist, Foreign Affairs, VoxEU, Center for Global Development, World Bank

• Crost, Benjamin and Christian Traeger. 2013. Optimal Climate Policy: Uncertainty versus Monte Carlo. Economics Letters, 120 (3): 552-558.

• Crost, Benjamin and Daniel I. Rees. 2013. The Minimum Legal Drinking Age and Marijuana Use: New Estimates from the NLSY97. Journal of Health Economics, 32 (2): 474-476.

• Crost, Benjamin and Santiago Guerrero.  2012. The Effect Alcohol Availability on Marijuana Use: Evidence from the Minimum Legal Drinking Age. Journal of Health Economics, 31 (1): 112-121.

Press coverage: Washington Post, Esquire, Denver Post, Mother Jones

• Crost, Benjamin. and with Uma S. Kambhampati.  2010. Political market characteristics and the provision of educational infrastructure in rural India. World Development, 38 (2): 195-204.

• Crost, Benjamin and Bhavani Shankar. 2008. Bt-cotton and production risk: panel data estimates. International Journal of Biotechnology, 10 (2-3): 122-131.

• Crost, Benjamin, Bhavani Shankar, Richard Bennett and Stephen Morse.  2007. Bias from Farmer Self-Selection in GM Crop Productivity Estimates: Evidence from India. Journal of Agricultural Economics, 58 (1): 24-36.

Non-Academic Writing:

• Impact of CDD/R Programs. Insights Newsletter, United States Institute of Peace, 2015.

• Wetter Wet Seasons, Drier Dry Seasons Harm Agriculture and Fuel Conflict in Asia. Policy Matters Blog, University of Illinois, 2015.

• Giving Aid to Conflict-Affected Regions Can Backfire. Policy Matters Blog, University of Illinois, 2014.

• Aid Under Fire: How Development Projects Can Increase Civil Conflict. ARE Update 14 (5): 1-4, 2011.