Bio

I am a Senior Economist in the Center for Economics in the Applied Research and Methods group at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). My current research focuses on the economics of food security and assessing the physical, transition, and equity risks of climate change. I am a chapter author on the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5). Before joining GAO, I served as a supervisory research economist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), where I led the Economic and Social Sciences Research Program at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC). Prior to AFSC, I was a senior research economist in the NOAA Chief Economist’s Office. Before joining NOAA, I worked as a senior social scientist at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), where my work focused on the economics of opioid abuse and infectious diseases. Prior to joining SAMHSA, I worked as a research economist at the Economic Research Service (ERS) at USDA, identifying the determinants and effects of food insecurity and quantifying the benefits of food assistance programs. Before joining ERS, I worked as a statistician at the U.S. Census Bureau in the Research and Development and Innovation Survey Branch, a survey cosponsored by the National Science Foundation.

I hold a Ph.D. in Economics from American University, an M.A. in economics from California State University, Fullerton, and a B.A. in Political Science, with a minor in Geophysics, from the University of Hawaii, at Mānoa. I enjoy hiking and backpacking in the Pacific Northwest and travelling.

Select Publications

1. Smith, M.D., Kassa W., & Wesselbaum, D. (2024). Food Insecurity Erodes Trust. Global Food Security, Forthcoming.

2. Zhuang, J., Smith, M.D., et al. (2024). The Satellite Account Approach for Measuring the U.S. Marine Economy. Marine Resource Economics, Forthcoming.

3. Bolster, C.H., Mitchell, R., Kitts, A., Campbell, A., Cosh, M., Farrigan, T.L., Franzluebbers, A.J., Hoover,  D.L., Jin, V.L., Peck, D.E., Schmer,  M.R., and Smith, M.D. (2023). Ch. 11. Agriculture, food systems, and rural communities. Fifth National Climate Assessment. U.S. Global Change Research Program, Washington, DC, USA.

   • Media coverage: Crop Science Society of America

4. Knowles, S., Peeters. R., Smith, M.D., & Wesselbaum, D. (2023). Who Behaves Charitably? Evidence from a Global Study. Applied Economics, Forthcoming.

5. Smith, M. D. & Wesselbaum, D. (2023). Global Evidence of Inequality in Well-Being among Older Adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Forthcoming.

6. Smith, M. D. & Wesselbaum, D. (2023). Wellbeing Inequality among Adolescents and Young Adults. Journal of Adolescent Health, Forthcoming.

7. Zhuang, J., Smith, M.D., et al. (2023). The Satellite Account Approach for Measuring the U.S. Marine Economy. Marine Resource Economics, Forthcoming.

8. Kassa, W., Smith, M. D., & Wesselbaum, D. (2023). Food Insecurity Erodes Trust. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, (10314).

9. Smith, M. D. & Wesselbaum, D. (2023). Well-being and Income across Space and Time: Evidence from One Million Households. Journal of Happiness Studies, Forthcoming.

10. Wesselbaum, D., Smith, M.D., Barrett, C.B., Aiyar, A. (2023). A Food Insecurity Kuznets Curve? World Development, 165, 106189.

11. Smith, M.D. & Wesselbaum, D. (2023). Food Insecurity Predicts Well-being Inequality. Preventive Medicine, 167, 107407.

12. Smith, M.D., Ten Hoeve, J., Lauer, C., & Brown, V. (2023). A Weather-Ready Nation for All? The Demographics of Severe Weather Understanding, Reception, and Response. Weather, Climate, and Society, forthcoming.

• Media coverage: NOAA Weather Program Office.

13. Kassa, W., Smith, M. D., & Wesselbaum, D. (2023). Food Insecurity Erodes Trust. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, (10314).

14. Abelman, A., Smith, M. D., et al. (2023). Stock Assessment And Fishery Evaluation Report For The Groundfish Resources Of The Bering Sea And Aleutian Islands Regions. NOAA Technical Report.

15. Smith, M. D. & Wesselbaum, D. (2022). Financial Inclusion and International Migration in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Empirical Economics, 1-30.

16. Leblang, D., Smith, M. D., & Wesselbaum, D. (2022). The Effect of Trust on Economic Performance and Financial Access. Economics Letters, 110884.

17. Smith, M. D. & Wodajo, T. (2022). New Perspectives on Climate Equity and Environmental Justice. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 103 (6), E1522-E1530.

18. Smith, M. D. & Wesselbaum, D. (2022). Food Insecurity and International Migration Flows. International Migration Review, 56(2), 615-635.

    • 1. 1. • Media coverage: Contexts magazine. 

19. Klein, W., Smith, M. D., et al. (2021). Leveraging Risk Communication Science across U.S. Federal Agencies. Nature Human Behavior, 5(4), 411-413.

20. Wesselbaum, D., Smith, M. D., & Minehan, S.N. (2021). Climate Change and International Migration: The Role of Foreign Aid. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, In Press.

21. Rabbitt, M.P. & Smith, M.D. (2021). Food Insecurity Among Working-Age Veterans. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Economic Research Report, 829.

22. Smith, M. D. & Floro, M.S. (2020). The Effects of Domestic and International Remittances on Food Security in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. The Journal of Development Studies, 1-23.

23. Smith, M. D. & Wesselbaum, D. (2020). COVID-19, Food Insecurity, and Migration. The Journal of Nutrition, 150(11), 2855-2858.

    • 1. 1. • Media coverage: American Society for Nutrition.

24. Smith, M. D. & Floro, M. S. (2020). Food Insecurity, Gender, and International Migration in Low- and Middle-income Countries.  Food Policy, 91, 101837.

25. Smith, M. D. & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2020). Food Insecurity, Acculturation, and Diagnosis of Coronary Heart Disease and Related Health Outcomes Among Immigrant Adults in the United States. Public Health Nutrition, 23(3), 416-431.

26. Thome, K., Smith, M. D., Meade, B., Daugherty, K., and Christensen, C. (2019). International Food Security Assessment, 2019-2029. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Outlook Report, GFA-30.

27. Smith, M. D. & Meade, B. (2019). Who Are the World’s Food Insecure? Identifying the Risk Factors of Food Insecurity Around the World. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Amber Waves (06).

28. Frongillo, E. A., Nguyen, H. T., Smith, M. D., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2019). Food insecurity was more strongly associated with poor subjective well-being in more-developed countries than in less-developed countries. The Journal of Nutrition, 149(2), 330–335.

29. Smith, M. D., Kassa, W., & Winters, P. (2017). Assessing Food Insecurity in Latin America and the Caribbean using FAO’s Food Insecurity Experience Scale. Food Policy, 71, 48–61. 

30. Ralston, K., Beaulieu, E., Hyman, J., Benson, M., & Smith, M. D. (2017). Daily Access to Local Foods for School Meals: Key Drivers. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service EIB-168.

31. Frongillo, E. A., Nguyen, H. T., Smith, M. D., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2017). Food Insecurity Is Associated with Subjective Well-Being among Individuals from 138 Countries in the 2014 Gallup World Poll. The Journal of Nutrition, 147(4), 680-687.

32. Smith, M. D., Rabbitt, M. P., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2017). Who are the World’s Food Insecure? New Evidence from the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Insecurity Experience Scale. World Development, 93, 402-412.

    • 1. 1. • Media coverage: Gallup, Inc.

33. Rabbitt, M. P., Smith, M. D., & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2016). Food Security Among Hispanic Adults in the United States, 2011-2014. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service EIB-153. 

34. Smith, M. D. & Coleman-Jensen, A. (2016). Food Insecurity Among Children Declined to Pre-Recession Levels in 2015. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research, Amber Waves, (10).

35. Rabbitt, M.P., Smith, M.D., and Coleman-Jensen, A. (2016). Food Insecurity and Hispanic Diversity. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research, Amber Waves, (6).

Under Review

Smith, M.D., Wodajo, T., & Lauer, C. (2022). Leveraging New Perspectives on Climate and Environmental Justice. Under review.

Smith, M.D. & Wesselbaum, D. (2022). Does Inflation Affect Well-Being? Under review.

Leblang, D., Smith, M.D., & Wesselbaum, D. (2022). Trust in Institutions Affects Vaccination Campaign Outcomes. Under review.

*The scientific results and conclusions, as well as any views or opinions expressed herein, are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA or the Department of Commerce.