Research Interests
I primarily conduct research in two areas. The first is directed at understanding the private provision of environmental public goods, and focuses on incentives faced by individuals as well as firm participation in voluntary pollution abatement initiatives. Some of this work focuses on consumer adoption of gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles, in particular exploring social status incentives for adoption and the possibility of a social-status induced rebound effect. Other work focuses on the effect of firm participation in a voluntary pollution abatement program on firm emissions, in particular the effect of a third party certification requirement on firm emissions, and financial incentives that may drive firm voluntary self-regulation. This research is supported by the application of quasi-experimental econometric methods.
The second area of my work is directed towards understanding the effect of economic institutions on economic growth and development. A large part of this work focuses on institutions-induced heterogeneity in the relationship between foreign direct investment and economic growth. This research uses a variety of semiparametric and nonparametric estimators to explore heterogeneity in these relationships in detail, and has contributed to the growing body of evidence indicating the need to focus on second-best solutions rather than first-best policies.
At times, my research in these two areas has led me to work on the development of new econometric estimators. Recently, I have collaborated on the development of a nonparametric generalized method of moments estimator for a system of simultaneous equations, an instrumental variables estimator for a semiparametric varying coefficient estimator, and a class of spatial difference-in-differences estimators that are able to identify and recover both direct and indirect effects of binary treatments.
Finally, in collaboration with colleagues at and outside of Purdue, I have worked on a variety of empirical models related to land use, rural economic development, and agricultural economics. In these projects, I am often called on to contribute economic and econometric expertise to the development of the empirical model.
Some of my current research is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Purdue University College of Agriculture, and recent past research has been funded by the Purdue Research Foundation and the Purdue University College of Agriculture.
The second area of my work is directed towards understanding the effect of economic institutions on economic growth and development. A large part of this work focuses on institutions-induced heterogeneity in the relationship between foreign direct investment and economic growth. This research uses a variety of semiparametric and nonparametric estimators to explore heterogeneity in these relationships in detail, and has contributed to the growing body of evidence indicating the need to focus on second-best solutions rather than first-best policies.
At times, my research in these two areas has led me to work on the development of new econometric estimators. Recently, I have collaborated on the development of a nonparametric generalized method of moments estimator for a system of simultaneous equations, an instrumental variables estimator for a semiparametric varying coefficient estimator, and a class of spatial difference-in-differences estimators that are able to identify and recover both direct and indirect effects of binary treatments.
Finally, in collaboration with colleagues at and outside of Purdue, I have worked on a variety of empirical models related to land use, rural economic development, and agricultural economics. In these projects, I am often called on to contribute economic and econometric expertise to the development of the empirical model.
Some of my current research is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Purdue University College of Agriculture, and recent past research has been funded by the Purdue Research Foundation and the Purdue University College of Agriculture.
- Purdue University College of Agriculture Diversity Transformation Collaboration Mini-Grant, with Kathleen Liang (Co-PI), Maria I. Marshall, and Michael Wilcox, $7,000
- Purdue Research Foundation, 2017, faculty summer research support
- Purdue Research Foundation, 9/2016-5/2017, one year of research assistant support
- USDA Innovation Research Grant, 4/2015-9/2017, joint collaboration between Purdue Ag Econ, Purdue PCRD and ERS, $298,500
- USDA NIFA, 12/2014-11/2018, with Maria I. Marshall (PI) and Craig Dobbins, $471,000
- Purdue Research Foundation, 9/2014-5/2015, one year of research assistant support
- Agricultural Research at Purdue, 8/2013-5/2015, two years of research assistant support
