RESEARCH PROJECTS
This page lists some of our favorite research projects from the past 15 years.
Economic impacts of the National Park System
Environmental conservation leads to increased employment and income in the local economy. This is supported by newly digitized data on the National Park System, the largest national conservation entity in the world. The data shows that these gains are driven by visitors.
Improving water use through pricing and information in South Africa
Ensuring sustainable access to water that delivers social benefits requires more than just building pipelines. Incentives are needed to reduce waste and ensure that water is used in a socially efficient way - this requires thoughtful pricing strategies. Consumers need to be able to manage their water use and pay their bills - this requires information. Our project shows how these aspects of the water delivery system can be improved.
Indian elections project
Political Participation and Candidate Choice: Insights from Indian Elections
In two projects, we study protest voting and candidate selection by political parties in the context of Indian elections. The first project studies the introduction of a None of the Above (NOTA) option, and shows that providing this outlet for voter dissatisfaction increases political participation. The second study explores why parties might choose different candidates than those preferred by voters, including candidates with a criminal background.
Happiness project
Do people choose what makes them happy?
To study the usefulness of subjective well-being measures as a proxy for utility, Benjamin et al. (2012) ask whether people choose what makes them happy in US samples. We use their methodology in a sample from low-income South African townships. Here respondents almost always choose what makes them feel happy. In addition, they perceive little conflict between own happiness and other relevant determinants of choice such as sense of purpose and family happiness.