solar panels
From farm towns to supercities

Our work is designed to inform difficult decisions facing communities around the world that are navigating the challenges of sustainable development in the 21st century.  We contribute to evidence-based solutions in a diverse set of communities around the world, from rural subsistence communities in low income countries to rapidly growing megacities, to communities throughout Illinois.

Sustainable Communities Mini-talks

Small Farmers and Global Value Chains - Sustaining Development? Presented by Hope Michelson (2020)

Are consumers willing to pay for both local brewing and local hops? Presented by Shadi Atallah (2020)

Farm road Champaign
Collaboration | Resilient Urban-Rural Analysis for Livability

CEOS faculty and students: Amy Ando, Kaylee Wells

Funding: Illinois Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)

Focus Area: Sustainable Communities

This project seeks to answer a critical question facing the American Midwest: “Can sustainability be rural?” As populations migrate from populous cities to small communities, it is critical to ensure that these “urban-rural” communities maintain resilience and livability for all residents. However, increasingly severe weather (e.g., the devastating and costly 2020 derecho event) and racialized social inequities create barriers against inclusive, sustainable development.

Using a system of midsized communities like Champaign-Urbana, Peoria, and Aurora as a testbed, the research team will investigate the many interlocking systems that comprise the urban-rural network, with a specific focus on the following subsystems: food (security and agricultural land management); water (infrastructure and flood/drought mitigation); energy (generation and use); and people (movement between cities, “white flight,” and segregation). More 

Research Output

Title Publication Authors Year Published Category Method Status
Household Responsibilities and Career Opportunities: Distance Learning for Rural Women in Nepal Sarah Janzen, Nicholas Magnan, Conner Mullally, Shruti Sharma, Bhola Shrestha 2024 SC (IE) Impact Evaluation (WP) Working Paper
The Dynamic Trajectory of the Effects of Retirement on Health American Society of Health Economics Hyeran Chung, Mary Arends-Kuenning 2024 SC (IE) Impact Evaluation (WP) Working Paper
The effect of NAFTA on Mexico's wage gap The Annals of Regional Science Mary P. Arends-Kuenning, Kathy Baylis & Rafael Garduño-Rivera 2024 SC (IE) Impact Evaluation (PR) Peer Reviewed
The Influence of COVID-19 on Young Women's Labor Market Aspirations and Expectations in India AEA Papers and Proceedings S Anukriti, Catalina Herrera-Almanza, Sophie Ochmann 2024 SC (OM) Other (PR) Peer Reviewed
C-Sections, Obesity, and Healthcare Specialization: Evidence from Mexico The World Bank of Economic Review Herrera-Almanza Catalina, Marquez F. and Prina, Silvia 2024 SC (OM) Other (PR) Peer Reviewed
The role of Unidroit and the development of legal structures to support contract farming Edward Elgar Publishing A Bryan Endres, Jessica Guarino 2024 SC (PD) Policy Design (PR) Peer Reviewed
Agritourism liability: why definition matters from a legal and risk management perspective Current Issues in Tourism Renata Endres, A Bryan Endres, Jessica Guarino, Tyler Swanson, Suiwen Zou 2024 SC (OM) Other (PR) Peer Reviewed
Women's empowerment: evidence from rural Western Paraná (Brazil) Mary Arends-Kuenning, Roberta Vedana, Marcos de Oliveira Garcias, Pery Shikida 2023 FA, SC N/A (WP) Working Paper
COVID-19 school closures and mental health of adolescent students: Evidence from rural Mozambique Social Science and Medicine-Mental Health Feliciano Chimbutane a, Catalina Herrera-Almanza b, Naureen Karachiwalla c, Carlos Lauchande d, Jessica Leigh 2023 SC (OM) Other (PR) Peer Reviewed
A review of livestock development interventions’ impacts on household welfare in low-and middle-income countries Global Food Security Sarah Janzen, Anissa Collishaw, Conner Mullally, Hannah Camilli 2023 FA, SC N/A (PR) Peer Reviewed
Community-Based Health Programs and Child Vaccinations: Evidence from Madagascar World Development Herrera-Almanza Catalina, Rosales-Rueda Maria 2023 SC (IE) Impact Evaluation (PR) Peer Reviewed
Coping with COVID‐19 shocks in rural Nepal Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy Sarah Janzen, Kierstin Ekstrom, Nicholas Magnan 2023 SC N/A (PR) Peer Reviewed
Digital trust substitution technologies to support smallholder livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa Global Food Security Lee, N.M., Varshney, L.R., Michelson, H.C., Goldsmith, P., & Davis, A. 2022 FA, SC (OM) Other
Anti-poverty programmes build resilience Nature Climate Change 2022 SC N/A (PR) Peer Reviewed
O Cooperativismo na dinâmica econômica e social da agropecuária brasileira Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada Mary Arends-Kuenning, Roberta Vedana, Marcos de Oliveira Garcias, Pery Francisco Assis Shikida 2022 FA, SC N/A (PR) Peer Reviewed
Empoderamento feminino na agricultura: um estudo na Lar Cooperativa Agroindustrial (Paraná) Revista de Economia e Sociologia Rural Mary Arends-Kuenning, Roberta Vedana, Pery Francisco Assis Shikida, Marcos de Oliveira Garcias 2022 FA, SC N/A (PR) Peer Reviewed
Is tech-enhanced bikeshare a substitute or complement for public transit? Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice Martin, R., & Xu, Y. 2022 SC (IE) Impact Evaluation (PR) Peer Reviewed
Demand for Weather Index Insurance among Smallholder Farmers under Prospect Theory Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization Sarah Janzen, Soye Shin, Nicholas Magnan, Conner Mullally 2022 SC N/A (PR) Peer Reviewed
Can mobile technology improve female entrepreneurship? evidence from Nepal Sarah Janzen, Conner Mullally, Nicholas Magnan, Shruti Sharma, Bhola Shrestha 2022 SC N/A (WP) Working Paper
Private contributions for public information: soil testing in Malawi SSRN Berazneva, J., Maertens, A., Mhango, W., & Michelson, H. 2022 LW, SC (FE) Field Experiment (WP) Working Paper
The joint effects of information and financing constraints on technology adoption: Evidence from a field experiment in rural Tanzania Journal of Development Economics Harou, A.P., Madajewicz, M., Michelson, H., Palm, C.A., Amuri, N., Magomba, C., Semoka, J.M., Tschirhart, K., & Weil, R. 2022 FA, SC (FE) Field Experiment (PR) Peer Reviewed
Public good provision and democracy: Evidence from an experiment with farmer groups in Malawi World Development Nourania, V., Maertens, A., & Michelson, H. 2021 FA, SC (PD) Policy Design, (FE) Field Experiment
Racial, ethnic, and urban/rural differences in transitions into diabetes: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Survey biomarker and self-reported data Journal of Rural Social Sciences Chung, H. & and Arends-Kuenning, M. Journal of Rural Social Sciences, accepted. (OM, SC) 2021 SC (OM) Other (WP) Working Paper
Examining nutrition and food waste trade-offs using an obesity prevention context Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Ellison, B., & Pflugh Prescott, M. 2021 SC (OM) Other
What happens when Airbnb comes to the neighborhood: The impact of home-sharing on neighborhood investment Regional Science and Urban Economics Xu, M., & Xu, Y. 2021 SC (OM) Other
Community pressure and the spatial redistribution of pollution: The relocation of toxic releasing facilities Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists Wang, X., Deltas, G., Khanna, M., & Bi, X. 2021 SC (IE) Impact Evaluation
Incentives for corporate social responsibility in India: Mandate, peer pressure and crowding-out effects Journal of Environmental Economics and Management Bansal, S., Khanna, M., Sydlowski, J. 2021 SC (IE) Impact Evaluation
Distribution of pollution incidence based on community characteristics: evidence from relocating toxic-releasing facilities SSRN Wang, X., Deltas, G., Khanna, M., & Bi, X. 2021 SC (IE) Impact Evaluation (WP) Working Paper
Sustainability standards in global agrifood supply chains Nature Food Meemken, E.M., Barrett, C.B., Michelson, H.C., Qaim, M., Reardon, T., Sellare, J. 2021 FA, SC (OM) Other (PR) Peer Reviewed
How do farmers learn from extension services? Evidence from Malawi American Journal of Agricultural Economics Maertens, A., Michelson, H., & Nourani, V. 2021 FA, LW, SC (IE) Impact Evaluation, (PD) Policy Design
The demand for mobility: Evidence from an experiment with Uber riders IZA Discussion Paper Christensen, P., & Osman, A. 2021 EE, SC (FE) Field Experiment
Reducing the cost of remoteness: Community-based health interventions and fertility choices Journal of Health Economics Herrera-Almanza, C., & Rosales, M. 2020 SC (IE) Impact Evaluation
Can insurance alter poverty dynamics and reduce the cost of social protection in developing countries? Journal of Risk and Insurance Janzen, S. A., Carter, M. R., & Ikegami, M. 2020 SC (SM) System Modeling
Mitigation of long-term human capital losses from natural disasters: Evidence from the Philippines The World Bank Economic Review Herrera-Almanza, C., & Cas, A. 2020 SC (IE) Impact Evaluation
Can experiential games and improved risk coverage raise demand for index insurance? Evidence from Kenya American Journal of Agricultural Economics Janzen, S. A., Magnan, N., Mullally, C., Shin, S., Palmer, I., Oduol, J., & Hughes, K. 2020 SC (IE) Impact Evaluation
Assessing the downstream socioeconomic impacts of agroforestry in Kenya World Development  Hughes, K., Morgan, S., Baylis, K., Oduol, J., Smith-Dumont, E., Vågen, T. G., & Kegode, H. 
2020 FA, SC (IE) Impact Evaluation
Consequences of protected areas for forest extraction and human well-being: Evidence from Nepal Environmental and Resource Economics Howlader, A., & Ando, A. W. 2020 LW, SC (IE) Impact Evaluation
Do foreign-educated nurses displace native-educated nurses? IZA Journal of Labor Policy H. Chung, H. & Arends-Kuenning, M. 2020 SC (IE) Impact Evaluation
A systematic review of school meal nudge interventions to improve youth food behaviors International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Metcalfe, J.J., Ellison, B., Hamdi, N., Richardson, R., & Prescott, M. (2020) "A systematic review of school meal nudge interventions to improve youth food behaviors." International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity(17) 2020 SC (OM) Other
Análise dos determinantes da felicidade dos associados da Lar Cooperativa Agroindustrial Revista de Economia e Sociologia Rural Vedana, R., Garcias, M., Shikida, P., & Arends-Kuenning, M. 2020 SC (OM) Other
Foreclosed American Dream? Parental foreclosure and young adult children’s homeownership Journal of Family and Economic Issues Xu, Y. 2020 SC (OM) Other
Willingness-to-volunteer and stability of preferences between cities: Estimating the benefits of stormwater management Journal of Environmental Economics and Management Cadavid, C.L., Ando, A.W., Netusil, N., & Parthum, B.
2020 LW, SC (VA) Valuation
Should congested cities reduce their speed limits? Evidence from São Paulo, Brazil Journal of Public Economics Ang, A., Christensen, P., & Schwambach-Vieira, R. 2020 SC (IE) Impact Evaluation
Growing green business investments in Asia and the Pacific: Trends and opportunities Asian Development Bank Khanna, M. 2020 SC (OM) Other
Childhood Determinants of Youth Internal Migration in Senegal Demographic Research Herrera-Almanza Catalina, David Sahn 2020 SC (OM) Other (PR) Peer Reviewed
Decomposing the wedge between projected and realized savings in energy efficiency programs E2e Working Paper Christensen, P., Francisco, P., Myers, E., & Souza, M. 2020 EE, SC (IE) Impact Evaluation
Assessing preferences for growth on the rural-urban fringe using a stated choice analysis Landscape and Urban Economics Stamberger, L., Van Riper, C., Stewart, W., Ando, A. W., Gobster, P., & Hunt, L. 2020 SC (VA) Valuation
Assessing the role of stakeholder platforms as drivers of resilient communities: the case of Malawi Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension Álvarez-Mingote, C., Moore, A.C., & McNamara, P.E. 2020 FA, SC (IE) Impact Evaluation, (PD) Policy Design
Decomposing the wedge between projected and realized savings in energy efficiency programs E2e Working Paper Christensen, P., Francisco, P., Myers, E., & Souza, M. (2020). 2020 EE, SC (IE) Impact Evaluation
Does irrigation reduce the impact of climate shocks on conflict? Evidence from Indonesia American Journal of Agricultural Economics Gatti, N.,† K. Baylis and B. Crost 2020 SC N/A
Housing discrimination and the toxics exposure gap in the United States: Evidence from the rental market Review of Economics and Statistics Christensen, P., Sarmiento-Barbieri, I., & Timmins, C. 2020 EE, SC (OM) Other
Assessing the downstream socioeconomic impacts of agroforestry in Kenya Development Hughes, K., S. Morgan,† K. Baylis, J. Odoul, E. Smith-Dumont, T.G. Vagen and H. Kegode 2020 SC N/A
The practice of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) in the Tropical Andes: Evidence from program administrators Ecosystem Services Bauchet, J., Asquith, N., Ma, Z., Raudel, C., Godoy, R., Zanotti, L., Steele, D., Gramig, B. M., Chong, A. E. 2020 SC (OM) Other
Unlocking amenities: Complementarity in public good consumption  Journal of Public Economics Albouy, D., Christensen, P., & Sarmiento, I.
2020 SC, O (IE) Impact Evaluation
After the drought: The impact of microinsurance on consumption smoothing and asset protection American Journal of Agricultural Economics Janzen, S. A., & Carter, M. R. 2019 FA, SC (IE) Impact Evaluation
Bridging versus bonding social capital and the management of the firewood commons Land Economics Baylis, K, Gong, Y., & Wang, S.
2019 SC, O (IE) Impact Evaluation
The effect of NAFTA on internal migration in Mexico: A regional economic analysis Applied Economics Arends-Kuenning, M., K. Baylis, K., & Garduno-Rafael, R. 2019 SC (IE) Impact Evaluation (PR) Peer Reviewed
Poverty traps and the social protection paradox The Economics of Poverty Traps (book) Ikegami, M., Carter, M. R., & Barrett, C. B. 2019 SC (SM) System Modeling
Sorting or steering: Experimental evidence on the economic effects of housing discrimination  NBER Working Paper Christensen, P., & Timmins, C.
2019 SC, O (IE) Impact Evaluation
Economic effects of environmental crises: Evidence from Flint, Michigan  Working Paper Christensen, P., Keiser, D., & Lade, G.
2019 SC, O (IE) Impact Evaluation
Modeling uncertainty in climate change: A multi-model comparison Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economics Gillingham, K., Nordhaus, W., Blanford, G., Bosetti, V., Christensen, P., McJeon, H., Reilly, J., and Sztorc, P. 2018 SC N/A
Geographic determinants of China's urbanization Regional Science and Urban Economics Christensen, P., & McCord, G.C.
2018 SC (IE) Impact Evaluation
Valuing the benefits of green stormwater infrastructure Oxford Encyclopedia of Water Resources Management and Policy Ando, A.W., & Netusil, N. 2018 LW, SC (VA) Valuation
Short-term impacts of a pay-it-forward livestock transfer and training program in rural Nepal American Economic Association Papers and Proceedings A., Magnan, N. P., Sharma, S, & Thompson, W. M. 2018 SC (IE) Impact Evaluation
The Millennium Villages project and local land values: Using hedonic pricing methods to evaluate development projects World Development Michelson, H., & Tully, K. 2018 SC (IE) Impact Evaluation, (VA) Valuation
Social protection in the face of climate change: Targeting principles and transfer mechanisms Environment and Development Economics Carter, M. R. 2018 SC (SM) System Modeling
Can insurance help manage climate risk and food insecurity? Evidence from the pastoral regions of East Africa Climate Smart Agriculture - Building Resilience to Climate Change Carter, M. R., A., & Stoeffler, Q. 2018 SC (SM) System Modeling
Asymmetric information is residential rental markets: Implications for the energy efficiency gap E2e Working Paper Myers, E. 2018 EE, SC (IE) Impact Evaluation
Mandatory savings, credit access and home ownership: The case of the housing provident fund Urban Studies Xu, Y. 2017 SC (OM) Other
Genetic and environmental influences on household financial distress Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization Xu, Y., Briley, D. A., Brown, J. R., & Roberts, B. W. (2017). Genetic and environmental influences on household financial distress. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization,142, 404-424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2017.08.001 2017 SC (OM) Other
The importance of animal source foods for nutrient sufficiency in the developing world: The Zambia scenario Food and Nutrition Bulletin Zhang, Z., Goldsmith, P. D., & Winter-Nelson, A. 2016 SC (PD) Policy Design, (SM) System Modeling
Renewable energy policies for eco-innovation Managing Emerging Technologies for Socio-Economic Impact Dombrovski, R. (eds) Assimakopoulos, D., Oshri, I., & Pandza, K. 2015 EE, SC (PD) Policy Design
The economics of post-harvest loss: A case study of the new large soybean-maize producers in tropical Brazil Food Security Goldsmith, P.D., Martins, A.G., & Moura, A.D. 2015 SC (SM) System Modeling
Effectiveness of financial and fiscal instruments for promoting sustainable renewable energy technologies Economic and Business Review 2015 EE, SC (IE) Impact Evaluation, (PD) Policy Design
Milk in the data: food security impacts of livestock in Zambia World Development Jodlowski, M., Winter-Nelson, A. Baylis, K., & Goldsmith, P.D. 2015 SC (IE) Impact Evaluation
Personality and young adult financial distress Journal of Economic Psychology Xu, Y., Beller, A. H., Roberts, B. W., & Brown, J. R.
2015 SC (OM) Other