Course Schedule
| Number | Day | Date | Topic | Assignments/Quizzes/Reflections. | Additional Information |
| Lecture 1 | T | 1/9/2024 | Introduction, and the Economics of Conservation | Papers to read: 1) Metrick, A., & Weitzman, M. L. (1998). Conflicts and choices in biodiversity preservation. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 12(3), 21-34, and 2) Adamowicz, W. L. (2016). Economic analysis and species at risk: Lessons learned and future challenges. Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d’agroeconomie, 64(1), 21-32. Videos to Watch: Nick Huntington-Klien on interpreting regression coefficients: 1) https://youtu.be/3WuHicIVxnM, 2) https://youtu.be/J8IHdu-oM64. |
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| Lab 1 | W | 1/10/2024 | No lab | See Lecture 1 | |
| Lecture 2 | Th | 1/11/2024 | The economics of Conservation Continued | Assignment 1 given (covers Random Assignment, and Regression Analysis). | See Lecture 1 |
| Lecture 3 | T | 1/16/2024 | Counterfactual Thinking | Paper to Read: Ferraro, P. J. (2009). Counterfactual thinking and impact evaluation in environmental policy. New directions for evaluation, 2009(122), 75-84. | |
| Lab 2 | W | 1/17/2024 | No lab | ||
| Lecture 4 | Th | 1/18/2024 | Counterfactual Thinking | Reflection 1 due midnight Jan 21st. | Paper to Read: Ferraro, P. J. (2009). Counterfactual thinking and impact evaluation in environmental policy. New directions for evaluation, 2009(122), 75-84. |
| Lecture 5 | T | 1/23/2024 | The Economics of Forest Conservation | Paper to read: Foster, A.D. and Rosenzweig, M.R., 2003. Economic growth and the rise of forests. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 118(2), pp.601-637. | |
| Lab 3 | W | 1/24/2024 | No lab | ||
| Lecture 6 | Th | 1/25/2024 | Random Assignment | Chapter 1, Angrist and Pischke | |
| Lecture 7 | T | 1/30/2024 | The Economics of Forest Conservation | Assignment 2 given (Covers DAGs and Instrumental Variables) | Paper to read: Foster, A.D. and Rosenzweig, M.R., 2003. Economic growth and the rise of forests. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 118(2), pp.601-637. |
| Lab 4 | W | 1/31/2024 | Lab on Random Assignment | Chapter 1, Angrist and Pischke | |
| Lecture 8 | Th | 2/1/2024 | DAGs | Reflection 2 due midnight Feb 4th Assignment 1 due midnight Feb 5th |
Chapter 6, 7, The Effect Book: https://theeffectbook.net/index.html, Chapter 3, Causal Inference: The Mixtape, https://mixtape.scunning.com/dag.html. |
| Lecture 9 | T | 2/6/2024 | Economic Development, Species Loss and Extraction | Paper to read: Naidoo, R., & Adamowicz, W. L. (2001). Effects of economic prosperity on numbers of threatened species. Conservation Biology, 15(4), 1021-1029. | |
| Lab 5 | W | 2/7/2024 | Lab on DAGs/Regression Analysis | Chapter 2, Angrist and Pischke | |
| Lecture 10 | Th | 2/8/2024 | Regression Analysis | Chapter 2, Angrist and Pischke | |
| Lecture 11 | T | 2/13/2024 | Ecosystem Services and Land Rental Markets | Paper to Read: Manning, D. T., & Ando, A. (2022). Ecosystem Services and Land Rental Markets: Producer Costs of Bat Population Crashes. Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, 9(6), 1235-1277. | |
| Lab 6 | W | 2/14/2024 | Lab on Regression Analysis/Fixed Effects. | Read: The Effect, Chapter 16 | |
| Lecture 12 | Th | 2/15/2024 | Instrumental Variables | Quiz 1 (45 minutes in class. Covers Random Assignment, Regression Analysis, DAG’s, and Instrumental Variables). Reflection 3 due midnight Feb 18th. Assignment 2 due midnight Feb 17th. |
Chapter 3, Angrist and Pischke |
| 2/20/2024 | Midsemester Break | ||||
| 2/21/2024 | Midsemester Break | ||||
| 2/22/2024 | Midsemester Break | ||||
| Lecture 13 | T | 2/27/2024 | Ecosystem Services and Land Rental Markets | Assignment 3 given (covers regression discontinuity, and difference and differences). | Paper to Read: Manning, D. T., & Ando, A. (2022). Ecosystem Services and Land Rental Markets: Producer Costs of Bat Population Crashes. Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, 9(6), 1235-1277. |
| Lab 7 | W | 2/28/2024 | Lab on Instrumental Variables | Chapter 3, Angrist and Pischke | |
| Lecture 14 | Th | 2/29/2024 | Regression Discontinuity, lecture. | Chapter 4, Angrist and Pischke. | |
| Lecture 15 | T | 3/5/2024 | Farm size and biodiversity. | Paper to read: Noack, F., Larsen, A., Kamp, J., & Levers, C. (2021). A bird’s eye view of farm size and biodiversity: The ecological legacy of the iron curtain. American Journal of Agricultural Economics. | |
| Lab 8 | W | 3/6/2024 | Lab on Regression Discontinuity | Chapter 4, Angrist and Pischke. | |
| Lecture 16 | Th | 3/7/2024 | Differences in Differences. | Reflection 4 due midnight March 12th. | Chapter 5, Angrist and Pischke. |
| Lecture 17 | T | 3/12/2024 | Conservation and its impact on labor markets. | Assignment 4 given (designed to help you start your final projects). | Paper to read: Frank, E., (2020), The Impact of the Northern Spotted Owl Conservation Plan on Local Labor Markets, working paper. |
| Lab 9 | W | 3/13/2024 | Lab on Differences in Differences. | ||
| Lecture 18 | Th | 3/14/2024 | Topical Discussion. | Assignment 3 due midnight March 15th. | Topic to be determined. |
| Lecture 19 | T | 3/19/2024 | Protected Areas | Paper to read: Andam, Kwaw S, Paul J Ferraro, Katharine R E Sims, Andrew Healy, and Margaret B Holland. 2010. “Protected areas reduced poverty in Costa Rica and Thailand.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 107 (22): 9996–10001. | |
| Lab 10 | W | 3/20/2024 | No lab this week | Start work on your final papers, including Assignments 4 and 5 | |
| Lecture 20 | Th | 3/21/2024 | Discussion on your final projects. | Assignment 5 given (also designed to help you complete tasks related to the final project). Assignment 4 due midnight March 22nd. Reflection 5 due midnight March 24th. |
Will address issues related to your final projects. |
| Lecture 21 | T | 3/26/2024 | Protected Areas | Paper to read: Burgess, R., Costa, F. J., & Olken, B. A. (2018). Wilderness Conservation and the Reach of the State: Evidence from National Borders in the Amazon (No. w24861). National Bureau of Economic Research | |
| Lab 11 | W | 3/27/2024 | Data lab. | Quiz 2 (coding exercise in class). | |
| Lecture 22 | Th | 3/28/2024 | Reintroduction and Local Economies. | Referee report assigned. Assignment 5 due midnight Mar 29. |
Paper to read: Li, L., & Ando, A. W. (2022). The impact of bison reintroduction on local economies. Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, 51(3), 455-472. |
| Lecture 23 | T | 4/2/2024 | Reintroduction and Local Economies. | Paper to read: Li, L., & Ando, A. W. (2022). The impact of bison reintroduction on local economies. Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, 51(3), 455-472. | |
| Lab 12 | W | 4/3/2024 | Data lab. | Will address issues related to your final projects. | |
| Lecture 24 | Th | 4/4/2024 | Endangered Species Act: Matching Methods | Reflection 6 due midnight April 7th. | Reading Assigned: Ferraro, P. J., McIntosh, C., & Ospina, M. (2007). The effectiveness of the US endangered species act: An econometric analysis using matching methods. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 54(3), 245-261. |
| Lecture 25 | T | 4/9/2024 | Topical Discussion. | Topic to be determined (topical discussion). | |
| Lab 13 | W | 4/10/2024 | Data lab. | Will address issues related to your final projects. | |
| Lecture 26 | Th | 4/11/2024 | Endangered Species Act and Wrap Up. | Quiz 3 (covers Fixed Effects, Regression Discontinuity, Differences and Differences). Referee report due midnight April 19th. Final Paper due midnight Apr 26th. |
Reading Assigned: Ferraro, P. J., McIntosh, C., & Ospina, M. (2007). The effectiveness of the US endangered species act: An econometric analysis using matching methods. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 54(3), 245-261. |