The Department of Economics at Boise State University is known for its active commitment to students’ intellectual development, its research accomplishments, and its important contributions to local, regional, and national issues and policy analysis. Scholarship activities of the faculty members in the Department of Economics include environmental and natural resource economics, urban and regional development, energy economics, economic history and economic policy. Given the breadth of expertise of our faculty, we are able to offer a wide range of courses. Our faculty is committed to foster a strong sense of community, and students enjoy extensive interaction with faculty members. Economists study how people and societies decide what goods and services to produce, how to allocate resources for production, and how to divide the income created in the process. Economics courses deal with national economic health and the behavior of industries and individual firms, as well as the decisions made by individuals in households and families. Economics majors who plan to enter the job market immediately after college find the degree useful in obtaining jobs in management and other areas where training in systematic thinking and empirical analysis are prized. A degree in economics is excellent preparation for law school, for M.B.A. programs, for teaching, or for graduate work in economics or other social sciences.
Submissions from 2024
The Impact of Monetary Policy Shocks: Do Not Rule Out Central Bank Information Effects or Economic News, Sebastian Laumer and Italo Morais Santos
Bidding Against the Wind: A Choice Experiment in Green Energy, Green Jobs and Offshore Views in North Carolina, USA, Lee C. Parton, Daniel J. Phaneuf, Laura O. Taylor, and Sanja Lutzeyer
Submissions from 2023
Prospects for Nuclear Microreactors: A Review of the Technology, Economics, and Regulatory Considerations, G. Black, D. Shropshire, K. Araújo, and A. Van Heek
Declining Unionization and the Despair of the Working Class, Kelly Chen and Samia Islam
Who Benefits from Tuition-Free, Top-Quality Universities?: Evidence from Brazil, Suzanne Duryea, Rafael P. Ribas, Breno Sampaio, Gustavo R. Sampaio, and Giuseppe Trevisan
Unveiling the Price of Obscenity: Evidence from Closing Prostitution Windows in Amsterdam, Erasmo Giambona and Rafael P. Ribas
Moving to the Country: Understanding the Effects of Covid-19 on Property Values and Farmland Development Risk, Kelsey K. Johnson, Lee Parton, Christopher Nolte, Matt Williamson, Theresa Nogeire-McRae, Jayash Paudel, and Jodi Brandt
Measuring the Effects of Public Land Use Change: An Analysis of Greenways in Raleigh, North Carolina, Lee C. Parton
Submissions from 2022
“No Drugs in My Back Yard:” The Ambivalent Reception of Cannabis Retailers, L. Michelle Brujin and Rafael P. Ribas
Urban Land Expansion: The Role of Population and Economic Growth for 300+ Cities, Richa Mahtta, Michail Fragkias, Burak Güneralp, Anjali Mahendra, Meredith Reba, Elizabeth A. Wentz, and Karen C. Seto
Biofuels Policy and Innovation Impacts: Evidence from Biofuels and Agricultural Patent Indicators, Kelly P. Nelson, Lee C. Parton, and Zachary S. Brown
Environmental Disasters and Property Values: Evidence from Nepal’s Forest Fires, Jayash Paudel
Refugee Inflow and Labor Market Outcomes in Brazil: Evidence from the Venezuelan Exodus, Hanbyul Ryu and Jayash Paudel
Natural Disasters and Labor Migration: Evidence from Nepal’s Earthquake, Shishir Shakya, Subuna Basnet, and Jayash Paudel
Psychometric Evaluation of a Pragmatic Measure for Assessing Adherence to System of Care Principles in Behavioral Health Service Interactions, Nathaniel J. Williams, James Beauchemin, Guido Giuntini, Jennifer Griffis, and Ya Mo
Submissions from 2021
Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Adoption: Opportunities and Challenges for Emerging Markets, Geoffrey Black, David Shropshire, and Kathleen Araújo
Why Do We Inflate Grades?: The Effect of Adjunct Faculty Employment on Instructor Grading Standards, Kelly Chen, Zeynep Hansen, and Scott Lowe
“Why Can’t You Sit Still?”: The Effect of Daily Physical Activity on Childhood Inattention/Hyperactivity and the Educational Gender Gap, Kelly Chen and Shelley Phipps
Beyond the Blaze: The Impact of Forest Fires on Energy Poverty, Jayash Paudel
Bus Ridership and Service Reliability: The Case of Public Transportation in Western Massachusetts, Jayash Paudel
Home Alone: Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health, Jayash Paudel
Short-Run Environmental Effects of COVID-19: Evidence from Forest Fires, Jayash Paudel
Why are People Energy Poor?: Evidence from Ethnic Fractionalization, Jayash Paudel
Environmental Externalities from Agriculture: Evidence from Water Quality in the United States, Jayash Paudel and Christine L. Crago
Submissions from 2020
Fall in the Sea, Eventually?: A Green Paradox in Climate Adaptation for Coastal Housing Markets, Lee C. Parton and Steven J. Dundas
Submissions from 2019
Economic Evaluation of Concussion Programs in the State of Idaho: The Collective Potential of Prevention and Clinical Care, Susie Bergeron, Hilary Flint, and Zeynep Hansen
Economic Viability of Light Water Small Modular Nuclear Reactors: General Methodology and Vendor Data, Geoffrey A. Black, Fatih Aydogan, and Cassandra L. Koerner
Unequal Opportunities and Public Policy: The Impact of Parental Disability Benefits on Child Post-Secondary Attendance, Kelly Chen, Lars Osberg, and Shelley Phipps
Land Conservation Can Mitigate Freshwater Ecosystem Services Degradation Due to Climate Change in a Semiarid Catchment: The Case of the Portneuf River Catchment, Idaho, USA, Li Huang, Felix Haifeng Liao, Kathleen A. Lohse, Danelle M. Larson, Michail Fragkias, Donna L. Lybecker, and Colden V. Baxter
Submissions from 2018
An Integrated Analysis of the Effects of Local Water Institutions on Irrigated Agriculture Outcomes in the Arid Western United States, Wenchao Xu and Scott E. Lowe
Submissions from 2017
Global Scenarios of Urban Density and Its Impacts on Building Energy Use Through 2050, Michail Fragkias
Modeling Teleconnected Urban Social–Ecological Systems: Opportunities and Challenges for Resilience Research, Michail Fragkias, Samia Islam, and Christian Sprague
A Comparison of Nighttime Lights Data for Urban Energy Research: Insights from Scaling Analysis in the US System of Cities, Michail Fragkias, José Lobo, and Karen C. Seto
Testing for Spatial Equilibrium Using Happiness Data, Frank Goetzke and Samia Islam
Climate, Wildfire, and Erosion Ensemble Foretells More Sediment in Western USA Watersheds, Scott E. Lowe
Passing the Affordable Care Act: Transaction Costs, Legerdemain, Acquisition of Control, Charlotte Twight
Submissions from 2016
Modern Political Economy, Global Environmental Change and Urban Sustainability Transitions, Michail Fragkias and Christopher G. Boone
Climate Change and US Agriculture: Opportunities for Conservation to Reduce and Mitigate Emissions and to Support Adaptation to Rapid Change, A. Manale, S. Hyberg, N. Key, S. Mooney, T. L. Napier, and M. Ribaudo
An Experiment-Based Methodology to Understand the Dynamics of Group Decision Making, Susan G. Mason, Don Holley, Aaron Wells, Amit Jain, Thomas Wuerzer, and Alark Joshi
Through the Mist: American Liberty and Political Economy, 2065, Charlotte A. Twight
Submissions from 2015
Quantitative and Qualitative Comparison of Light Water and Advanced Small Modular Reactors, Fatih Aydogan, Geoffrey Black, Meredith A. Taylor Black, and David Solan
Carbon Free Energy Development and the Role of Small Modular Reactors: A Review and Decision Framework for Deployment in Developing Countries, Geoffrey Black, Meredith A. Taylor, David Solan, and David Shropshire
Young in Class: Implications for Inattentive/Hyperactive Behaviour of Canadian Boys and Girls, Kelly Chen, Nicole Fortin, and Shelley Phipps
Intergenerational Effects of Disability Benefits: Evidence from Canadian Social Assistance Programs, Kelly Chen, Lars Osberg, and Shelley Phipps
A Conceptual Framework for an Urban Areas Typology to Integrate Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, Michail Fragkias
Trees Grow on Money: Urban Tree Canopy Cover and Environmental Justice, Michail Fragkias
Determinants of Seat Belt Use: Regression Analysis with FARS Data Corrected for Self-Selection, Frank Goetzke and Samia Islam
Climate Change, Water Supply, and Agriculture in the Arid Western United States: Eighty Years of Agricultural Census Observations from Idaho, Zeynep K. Hansen, Scott Lowe, and Wenchao Xu
Dodd-Frank: Accretion of Power, Illusion of Reform, Charlotte Twight
Submissions from 2014
The Coasean Framework of the New York City Watershed Agreement, Geoffrey Black, D. Allen Dalton, Samia Islam, and Aaron Batteen
Fiscal and Economic Impacts of State Incentives for Wind Energy Development in the Western United States, Geoffrey Black, Donald Holley, David Solan, and Michael Bergloff
A Long View of Polluting Industry and Environmental Justice in Baltimore, Christopher G. Boone, Michail Fragkias, Geoffrey L. Buckley, and J. Morgan Grove
Supporting Global Environmental Change Research: A Review of Trends and Knowledge Gaps in Urban Remote Sensing, Michail Fragkias
Long-Term Impacts of Major Water Storage Facilities on Agriculture and the Natural Environment: Evidence from Idaho (U.S.), Zeynep K. Hansen, Scott E. Lowe, and Wenchao Xu
Social Network Analysis: A Means to Discovering the Tipping Point in Gaining Cooperation?, Susan Mason, Don Holley, Aaron Wells, Alark Joshi, Amit Jain, and Thomas Wuerzer
Electronic Textbooks: Antecedents of Students’ Adoption and Learning Outcomes, Regis Terpend, Thomas F. Gattiker, and Scott E. Lowe
Climate Change, Water Rights, and Water Supply: The Case of Irrigated Agriculture in Idaho, Wenchao Xu, Scott E. Lowe, and Richard M. Adams
An Analysis of Irrigated Agricultural Outcomes under the Prior Appropriation Doctrine: Hypotheses and Applications, W. Xu, S. E. Lowe, and S. Zhang
Submissions from 2013
The Determinants of Credit Allocations in a Market-Based Trading System: Evidence from the RECLAIM Program, Antonio M. Bento, Emeric Henry, and Scott E. Lowe
Connecting Environmental Justice, Sustainability, and Vulnerability, Christopher G. Boone and Michail Fragkias
Urbanization and Sustainability: Linking Urban Ecology, Environmental Justice and Global Environmental Change, Christopher G. Boone and Michail Fragkias
Managing a Pest with Harvest Timing: Implications for Crop Quality and Price, Kelly M. Cobourn, Rachael E. Goodhue, and Jeffrey C. Williams
Stewardship of the Biosphere in the Urban Era, Michail Fragkias
Urbanization, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities: A Global Assessment, Michail Fragkias
Towards a New Framework for Urbanization and Sustainability, Michail Fragkias and Christopher G. Boone
A Synthesis of Global Urbanization Projections, Michail Fragkias, Burak Güneralp, Karen C. Seto, and Julie Goodness
Does Size Matter? Scaling of CO2 Emissions and U.S. Urban Areas, Michail Fragkias, José Lobo, Deborah Strumsky, and Karen C. Seto
Urbanization Forecasts, Effects on Land Use, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Services, Burak Güneralp, Robert I. McDonald, Michail Fragkias, Julie Goodness, Peter J. Marcotullio, and Karen C. Seto
The Impact of Group Contract and Governance Structure on Performance—Evidence from College Classrooms, Zeynep K. Hansen, Hideo Owan, Jie Pan, and Shinya Sugawara
The Impact of Group Diversity on Class Performance: Evidence from College Classrooms, Zeynep Hansen, Hideo Owan, and Jie Pan
Urban Responses to Climate Change: Theories and Governance Practice in Cities of the Global South, Dirk Heinrichs, Kerstin Krellenberg, and Michail Fragkias
Multidisciplinary Research: Implications for Agricultural and Applied Economists, Siân Mooney, Douglas Young, Kelly Cobourn, and Samia Islam
Submissions from 2012
Spatiotemporal Analysis of Prior Appropriations Water Calls, Levan Elbakidze, Xiaozhe Shen, Garth Taylor, and Sian Mooney
Submissions from 2011
The City-Level Effects of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, Maximilian Auffhammer, Antonio M. Bento, and Scott E. Lowe
Financial Services Industry PAC Contributions and Senate Committee Membership, Randall W. Bennett and Christine Loucks
On the Broader View of the Open Source Paradigm: The Case for Agricultural Biotechnology, Geoffrey Black, Meredith Taylor, and Wita Wojtkowski
Implications of Simultaneity in a Physical Damage Function, Kelly M. Cobourn, Hannah J. Burrack, Rachael E. Goodhue, Jeffrey C. Williams, and Frank G. Zalom
The Implications of Surface-Ground Water Hydrology for Optimal Conjunctive Management, Kelly M. Cobourn and Neil F. Crescenti
Climate Variability and Water Infrastructure: Historical Experience in the Western United States, Zeynep K. Hansen, Gary D. Libecap, and Scott E. Lowe
The Importance of Committee Assignment: Health Care Industry Political Action Committee Contributions and the House of Representatives, Christine Loucks and Randall Bennett
Submissions from 2010
Comparisons of Carbon Pools and Economic Profitability for Managed Ponderosa Pine Stands in Wyoming, USA, A. Chatterjee, Sian Mooney, and G. F. Vance
Medical Licensing Board Characteristics and Physician Discipline: An Empirical Analysis, Marc T. Law and Zeynep Hansen
Beyond the Veil: The Influence of Islam on Female Entrepreneurship in a Conservative Muslim Context, John C. McIntosh and Samia Islam
A Multi-Period Analysis of Two Common Livestock Management Strategies Given Fluctuating Precipitation and Variable Prices, John P. Ritten, W. Marshall Frasier, Christopher T. Bastian, Steven I. Paisley, Michael A. Smith, and Sian Mooney
Economic and Employment Impacts of Small Modular Nuclear Reactors, David Solan, Geoffrey Black, Michael Louis, Steve Peterson, Larry Carter, Sam Peterson, Ryan Bills, Brogan Morton, and Edward Arthur
Submissions from 2009
Measuring the Effects of the Clean Air Act Amendments on Ambient PM10 Concentrations: The Critical Importance of a Spatially Disaggregated Analysis, Maximilian Auffhammer, Antonio M. Bento, and Scott E. Lowe
Range Livestock Strategies Given Extended Drought and Different Price Cycles, Christopher T. Bastian, Padmaja Ponnamaneni, Sian Mooney, John P. Ritten, W. Marshall Frasier, Steven I. Paisley, Michael A. Smith, and Wendy J. Umberger
Housing Market Effects of Inclusionary Zoning, Antonio Bento, Scott E. Lowe, Gerrit-Jan Knaap, and Arnab Chakraborty
Correcting Sample Selection in FARS Data to Estimate Seatbelt Use, Samia Islam and Frank Goetzke
Impact of Air Quality Regulations on Entrepreneurial Activity, Scott E. Lowe and Samia Islam
What is the Carbon Market: Is There a Final Answer?, Jeffery R. Williams, Sian Mooney, and Jeffrey M. Peterson
Submissions from 2008
Committing to Carbon Credits, John Eustermann and Sian Mooney
Housing Market Effects of Inclusionary Zoning, Gerrit-Jan Knaap, Antonio Bento, and Scott E. Lowe
Books from 2007
Soil Carbon Management: Economic, Environmental and Societal Benefits, J. M. Kimble, C. W. Rice, D. Reed, Sian Mooney, R. F. Follett, and R. Lal
Reducing Standard Errors by Incorporating Spatial Autocorrelation into a Measurement Scheme for Soil Carbon Credits, Sian Mooney, Ken Gerow, John Antle, Susan Capalbo, and Keith Paustian
Submissions from 2006
Ranchers Diverse in Their Drought Management Strategies, Christopher T. Bastian, Sian Mooney, Amy M. Nagler, John P. Hewlett, Steven I. Paisley, Michael A. Smith, W. Marshall Frasier, and Wendy J. Umberger
A Method for Constructing Commodity by Industry Flow Matrices, Randall W. Jackson, Walter R. Schwarm, Yasuhide Okuyama, and Samia Islam
Books from 2004
Managing Relationships in Transition Economies, Nancy K. Napier and David C. Thomas
Submissions from 1991
From Claiming Credit to Avoiding Blame: The Evolution of Congressional Strategy for Asbestos Management, Charlotte Twight