David Keiser, professor of resource economics, has been awarded a planning grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to draft a proposal for a National Center for Water Policy (NCWP), which would coordinate and conduct research on the country’s water quality and quantity challenges. Drinking and surface water pollution have been among the top environmental concerns of the American public for decades. In addition to traditional pollution concerns, microplastics and PFAS “forever chemicals” have emerged as more recent threats to water quality.
This study examines the impact of multidimensional energy poverty (MDEP) on household consumption and savings, with a focus on potential differences by the gender of the household head. Using data from the Household Risk and Vulnerability Survey (HRVS) 2016–2018, a three-year panel dataset from Nepal covering 6000 households, we apply pooled OLS, dynamic panel fixed effects (FE), panel instrumental variable (IV), and Lewbel's (Lewbel, 2012) 2SLS methods. Our findings reveal that MDEP significantly reduces both household consumption and savings, with more pronounced effects on savings. The
Christine Crago, resource economics, presented at the September 19 Western Massachusetts Solar Forum. To achieve access to the alternative energy source as well as “access to the financial benefits of solar, we need a better understanding of these mechanisms behind low uptake of solar in low-income and minority communities,” said Crago.
Jill Fitzsimmons, resource economics, is part of a research team set to receive $1.19 million to study solutions for managing cranberry fruit rot, a long-standing problem in the cranberry industry. The award is part of a larger $4.1 million USDA-NIFA (U.S. Department of Agriculture–National Institute of Food and Agriculture) Specialty Crop Research Initiative Grant.