Research

Working Papers

• • Water Market Dynamics in the Presence of Environmental Variability (with Renato Molina) [Draft]

  • Can Alternative Transfer Mechanisms Alleviate Water Scarcity? (with Katherine Wright and Bryan Leonard)

Publications (Peer-Reviewed)

• • "Potential impacts of reduced inflows to the Salton Sea: Forecasting non-market damages" (2022). Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 58(6): 1128-48. (with Taylor Adams, John Carron, Michael Cohen, and Anthony Saracino) [Link]

  • "Do Environmental Markets Improve on Open Access? Evidence from California Groundwater Rights" (2021). Journal of Political Economy, 129(10): 2817-60.  (With Kyle Meng and Andrew Plantinga) [Link] [Media: Reuters]

  • "Balancing agricultural production, groundwater management, and biodiversity goals: a multi-benefit optimization model of agriculture in Kern County, California" (2019). Science of the Total Environment, 670: 865-75. (with Kelly Bourque, Anna Schiller, Cristobal Angosto, Lindsay McPhail, Wendy Bagnasco, and Ashley Larsen) [Link]

  • "How Transaction Costs Obstruct Collective Action: Evidence from California's Groundwater" (2018). Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 91: 46-65. (With Eric Edwards and Gary Libecap) [Link]

  • "Social Science/Natural Science Perspectives on Wildfire and Climate Change" (2016). Geography Compass, 10(2): 67-86. (With Degolia, A., Fienup, M., Kim, Y., Sainz, J., Urbisci, L., Viana, D., Wesolowski, G., Plantinga, A., and C. Tague) [Link]

  • "Germany's Water Footprint of Transport Fuels" (2014). Applied Energy, 113: 1746-51. [Link]

Other Publications (Reports, etc.)

• • "A Path Forwad for Water: Book Review of Barton Thompson, Jr.'s Liquid Asset" (2024). Stanford Social Innovation Review, Spring 2024 Issue. [Link] [Email for PDF] 

  • "Managing Water and Land Transitions in the San Joaquin Valley" (2023). Public Policy Institute of California. (With Ellen Hanak, Caitlin Peterson, Alvar Escriva-Bou, Spencer Cole, and Zaira Joaquin-Morales) [Link]

  • "Solar Energy and Groundwater in the San Joaquin Valley: How Policy Alignment can Support the Regional Economy" (2022). Public Policy Institute of California. (With Annabelle Rosser, Ellen Hanak, Alvar Escriva-Bou, Darcy Wheeles, Mitchelle De Leon, Curtis Seymour, and Abigail Hart) [Link]

  • "Land Transitions and Dust in the San Joaquin Valley: How Proactive Management can Support Air Quality Improvements" (2022). Public Policy Institute of California. (With Jaymin Kwon and Joy Collins) [Link]

  • "Economics of Rewilding the San Joaquin Valley: Benefits, Costs, and Early Adoption" in Rewilding Agricultural Landscape: A California Study in Rebalancing the Needs of People and Nature (2021) (Eds. Butterfield, S., Kelsey, R., and A. Hart). Island Press.

  • "Groundwater and Urban Growth in the San Joaquin Valley" (2021). Public Policy Institute of California. (With Ellen Hanak, Henry McCann, David Mitchell, Zachary Sugg, and Erin Rugland) [Link]

  • "Improving California's Water Market: How Water Trading and Banking can Support Groundwater Management" (2021). Public Policy Institute of California. (With Ellen Hanak, Brian Gray, Gokce Sencan, Ellen Bruno, Alvar Escriva-Bou, and Greg Gartrell) [Link]

  • "Inventory of River Restoration Costs and Benefits: Deliverable 1.4 of the REFORM Project" (2014). Prepared for the European Commission (EC) under Grant Agreement 282656. (With Gerdes, H., Goeller, B., Lago, M.)

  • "Assessment of Cost Recovery through Water Pricing" (2013). EEA Technical Report No. 16/2013. (With De Paoli, G., Strosser, P., Anzaldua, G., Lange, M., Lago, M., Oosterhuis, F., Hrabar, M., Navrud, S.)

  • "Ökologische und hygienische Kennzahlen im Benchmarking der Wasserversorgung – Empfehlungen aus Sicht des Gewässer- und Gesundheitsschutzes [Ecological and health-related indicators in the benchmarking of drinking water utilities – recommendations from the perspective of water body and human health protection]" (2013). Dessau-Roßlau: German Federal Environment Agency. (With Nickel, D., Lange, M., Schielein, J., Oelmann, M.)

  • "Le rôle des permis transférables pour la maîtrise de la pollution de l’eau [The Role of Tradable Permits in Water Pollution Control]", in Gestion de l’eau et Reglementation: Recueil de Textes Internationaux, ed. Max Falque et al. (Aix en Provence: ICREI, 2013). (With Kraemer, R.A., Lago, M., Kampa, E., Interwies, E., Anzaldua, G.)

  • "Assessment of Climate Change Policies in the Context of the European Semester." (2013). Project for the European Commission, Directorate-General for Climate Action. Berlin: Ecologic Institute. (With Dreblow, E., Duwe, M., Wawer, T., Donat, L., Zelljadt, E.)

Popular and Other Writing

• • "Managing Flood Water for Aquifer Recharge: Economic Considerations for Policy" Published on the UNESCO Global Water Forum. 19 November 2019. (With Ellen Bruno and Emmanuel Asinas) [Link] [One of Most Popular GWF Articles of 2019]

  • "The Role of Cooperation and Markets" in 'UC groundwater research: a survey,' Ed.: J. Downing (2018). California Agriculture, 72(1): 8-15. [Link (final entry) | DOI]

  • "The Shortcomings of Water Footprinting" Published on the UNESCO Global Water Forum. 13 March 2017. [Link] [One of Most Popular GWF Articles of 2017]

  • "Trading Institutions in California’s Adjudicated Groundwater Basins: Rules, Regulations, and Trading Activity" (2016). Report Prepared for Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency. February 2016.