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, improved public transit accessibility had a modest but positive effect on food security. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that this effect is driven by Black and poor households, as well as households without a car, and households that use public transit. However, during a more recent time period from 2015 to 2019, I find no relationship between PT access and food security, suggesting that food and transportation systems changed significantly between the early 2000s and 2015.

Abstract: In recent years, controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) has been expanding rapidly

in the United States. Whereas estimates of production costs and environmental performance of

CEA production systems exist in the literature, information on consumer valuation of CEA-grown

produce is limited. This paper examines consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for CEA-grown

green leaf lettuce and lettuce with other attributes (local and organic), as well as the impact of

the environmental performance information of these products on consumer WTP. We conducted

an experimental laboratory auction in two study sites and found that consumers are largely indif-

ferent between CEA-grown and field-grown lettuce but are willing to pay a price premium for local

and organic lettuce. Our results on the effect of environmental performance information indicate

that this information significantly influences consumer WTP for all evaluated lettuce, albeit in

different directions. The environmental performance information increases consumer WTP for

lettuce produced locally and decreases WTP for CEA-grown and organic lettuce. These findings

provide important insights for policymakers and marketers and allow us to make inferences about

consumer knowledge and awareness about CEA-grown, local and organic produce.

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 eth-

ical 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 qual-

ity 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, re-

ligion, 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 deteri-

orated, 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.