Research

Abstract: Food insecurity is an increasing issue in the United States. Transportation barriers are an indirect yet potentially formidable challenge to access affordable and nutritious food. This paper investigates the impact of public transit (PT) accessibility on household food security in the US. While extensive research exists on food security and PT separately, the intersection of these topics remains underexplored. Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, supplemented with several datasets providing transit accessibility measures, I examine how changes in transit accessibility influence household food security outcomes. This study leverages a quasi-experimental design, focusing on “movers” - households that relocate between census tracts with different levels of PT accessibility to obtain a within-household estimate of the effect of PT accessibility on food security. I find that during the period from 1999 to 2003, a one std. dev. increase in PT accessibility was associated with 2-3 percentage points decrease in the probability of food insecurity among Black and poor households, as well as households without a car, and households that used PT in the past. However, during a more recent period from 2015 to 2019, I find no significant relationship between PT access and food security, suggesting that the US food and transportation systems changed substantially between the early 2000s and the late 2010s.

Abstract: This study examines the moderating role of religious beliefs on American residents’ perceptions and willingness to purchase fresh produce that is imported from different countries of origin (COOs). Religious beliefs are an important part of cultural and group identities and affect moral and ethical purchasing considerations. The use of purchase behavior to signal moral or ethical concerns is of growing importance. Despite this the impacts of religion or religiosity on such decisions is understudied. We surveyed 10,049 U.S. consumers, measuring consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for grapes, a commodity food product. Using a commodity allows control for quality differences between countries when a country-of-origin label (COOL) is present. Respondents were asked for their WTP for grapes from the following countries: Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Russia, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority. Prices were anchored with a base price for U.S.-grown grapes. In addition, we collected information about responders’ demographics, religion, and intensity of religious beliefs and attitudes. We find significant differences in willingness

to pay for grapes across origin countries. Furthermore, we find that religious identity correlates with willingness to pay for grapes from certain countries.

Abstract: Empirical evidence indicates that river proximity in Maine (USA) is a disamenity to residential property owners; a legacy of industrial activities created a significant impetus for damming and intensive commercial management of waterways. As a result, water quality deteriorated, aquatic populations plummeted, recreational fishing quality suffered, and river amenities were lost. With concern over sea-run fisheries and a significant decline of mills, interest in dam removal has piqued. Using home sales data on the Penobscot River in Maine, we estimate marginal

willingness to pay (WTP) for river proximity before and after dam removal. The timing of sales encompasses two dam removals. Building upon earlier works, using difference-in-differences and matching methods, we find a negative effect of river proximity, that diminishes in a wake of dam removal, evidently implying improvements in river amenity effects following the removal.