Fields
Industrial Organization, Food Marketing, Agricultural Policy, Applied Econometrics
Dissertation
Country of Origin Labeling: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis of Market Effects in the U.S. Seafood Industry
Background
I am currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the Department of Resource Economics and expect to receive my degree by September 2009. Under the guidance of Prof. Julie A. Caswell and Prof. Nathalie Lavoie, I am currently writing my dissertation titled “Country of Origin Labeling: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis of Market Effects in the U.S. Seafood Industry.” My fields of specialization are industrial organization, and applied econometrics. My research focuses on product differentiation, country of origin labeling, asymmetric information, international trade, and other issues relevant to food marketing and industrial organization in general. Before I embarked on this advanced degree, I worked in CitiFinancial with an MBA in marketing.
Research
“Unscrupulous importers and some foreign producers are now ‘gaming the system’ to move seafood products into the commercial food industry that might not withstand ‘grocery store scrutiny’ where nearly all items are now labeled for country of origin.” Such statements are increasingly justified in the wake of recent food scares reported in the media. In my dissertation work, I have modeled consumer demand for quality on the agricultural and food system. More specifically, my work addresses the impact of partial implementation of U.S. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) policy on consumer and total welfare for seafood, where retail sector is labeled and food service sector is not. I also look at the effect of COOL on shrimp trade between developing countries and United States. With COOL applicable only to unprocessed shrimp, trade between countries may be affected when major shrimp exporting countries to the United States change their product mix from unprocessed to processed shrimp. Through a combination of theoretical modeling, simulations, and empirical analysis I have demonstrated the utility of my work in explaining that consumer demand has a strong effect on food system and trade. My work has been well appreciated in conferences and considered to be relevant and significant.
PUBLISHED ARTICLES/ WORKING PAPERS
Caswell, Julie A., and Siny Joseph (2007). “Consumer Demand for Quality: Major determinant for agricultural and food trade in the future?”
- Journal of International Agricultural Trade and Development. Vol. 4, Issue 1, pages 99-116.
- University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA. Working paper 2007-4. March. >>pdf
Namboodiri, N.V., and Siny Joseph (2007). “Participatory Natural Resource Management: Community based Rainwater Harvesting System in Gujarat.” International Conference on 21st Century Challenges to Sustainable Agri-Food Systems, (Eds.) P.G. Chengappa, N. Nagaraj and R. Kanwar, I.K. International Publishing House Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, pp. 285-292.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Joseph, Siny, Lavoie, Nathalie, and Julie A. Caswell (2009). “COOL Effects on U.S. Shrimp Trade: An Empirical Analysis.” Selected paper for the 2009 Annual NAREA Conference, Burlington, Vermont, June.
Joseph, Siny, Lavoie, Nathalie, and Julie A. Caswell (2009). "Implications of COOL on U.S. Shrimp Trade.” Selected paper for the NEC-63/FAMPS Spring 2009 Conference, San Diego, California, February.
Joseph, Siny, and Nathalie Lavoie (2008). “Effectiveness of COOL in the U.S. Seafood Industry.”
- Selected paper for the AAEA Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida, July.
- Selected paper for the CAES-NAREA Annual Meeting, Quebec City, Canada, June.
Namboodiri, N.V., and Siny Joseph (2007). “Participatory Natural Resource Management: Community based Rainwater Harvesting System in Gujarat.” Selected paper for the International Conference on “21st Century challenges to sustainable Agri-food systems.” Bangalore, India, March.
Caswell, Julie A. and Siny Joseph (2006). “Consumers’ Food Safety, Environmental, and Animal Welfare Concerns: Major Determinants for Agricultural and Food Trade in the Future?” Invited paper presented at the International Agricultural Trade Research Consortium (IATRC) Summer Symposium on “Food Regulation and Trade: Institutional Framework, Concepts of Analysis and Empirical Evidence.” Bonn, Germany, May.
Teaching
Instructor: Introductory Microeconomics (Fall 2008), Department of Resource Economics and Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Teaching Assistant: Statistics (Fall 2004 and Spring 2005), Department of Resource Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst
My teaching interests lie in the areas of industrial organization, microeconomic theory, applied econometrics, and agricultural policy. My research experience, and previous duties as an instructor and teaching assistant (TA) qualify me to teach a variety of undergraduate and graduate level courses. As an instructor for microeconomics, I taught a group of undergraduate business majors as part of the Talent Advancement Program in the Isenberg School of Management Amherst. I had full responsibility for this course, including lectures, assignments, exams, and grading. As a TA for statistics, I have organized and led undergraduate discussion sections, graded homework and exams, and mentored several students. Through these roles, I have experienced several facets of teaching a course and understood the subtleties of effective teaching. My participation as an instructor and a TA, and my own experience as a student have impressed upon me the importance of addressing the diverse interests and aptitudes of students, encouraging class participation, and providing continuous feedback to students. I have also spoken at several public speaking forums like presentations at conferences and in-class seminars, which supplement my teaching skills. I view teaching as an integral part of a career in academia. Teaching allows me to re-visit fundamentals and approach my research from a broader perspective.
References
Dr. Julie A. Caswell
Department Chair and Professor
Department of Resource Economics
215 Stockbridge Hall
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA 01003
Phone:
413.545.5735
caswell 'at' resecon.umass.edu
Dr. Nathalie Lavoie
Graduate Program Director and Associate Professor
Department of Resource Economics
212D Stockbridge Hall
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA 01003
Phone: 413.545.5713
lavoie 'at' resecon.umass.edu
Dr. Daniel A. Lass
Professor and Board of Directors, NAREA
Department of Resource Economics
211 Stockbridge Hall
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA 01003
Phone: 413.545.1501
dan.lass 'at' resecon.umass.edu
