Environmental Social Science

Our group studies the management of natural resources and the environment by individuals and societies. Applying theories and methods from several social sciences, including economics, political science, policy sciences, and anthropology, we consider how decisions are made through both market and non-market mechanisms and how the structure of institutions influence decisions. The program emphasizes understanding how markets operate, when and under what circumstances they fail to produce socially optimal outcomes, how to analyze existing public policies, and how to test the possible outcome of new environmental and resource policies. Faculty interests include forests, fishery resources, protection of biodiversity, ecotourism, public participation in environmental decisions, land use, and the environmental behavior of business firms. We have strong interests in international as well as domestic problems, and work on sustainable development issues in tropical and non-tropical developing countries and on global environmental issues.

Primary Faculty
Richard Anderson
Lori S. Bennear
Deborah Gallagher
Dalia Patino-Echeverri
Randall A. Kramer
Lynn A. Maguire
Marie Lynn Miranda
Brian C. Murray
Richard G. Newell
Martin D. Smith
Jeffrey Vincent