James Williamson
ERS Publications by this Author
Amber Waves Articles by this Author
Journal Publications by this Author
Economist
202-694-5539
Email:
jwilliamson@ers.usda.gov
Briefly:James Williamson is an economist with the Resources,
Environmental, and Science Policy Branch in the Resource and Rural
Economics Division. As a researcher, James' principal areas of
expertise include resource and environmental economics, and policy
analysis. He has published articles on the valuation of water
quality, tax policy and environmental exposure to hazardous
substances, and environmental pollution fees and sustainability. He
has also authored several book chapters on the economics of
watershed restoration. At ERS, James conducts research on nitrogen
fertilizer use intensification and water quality in the context of
the Conservation Reserve Program. James also conducts research on
agricultural land value and Federal tax policy.
Background:James has over eight years of experience in the Federal
government. Previous positions held include Postdoctoral Research
Fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of
Research and Development. Prior to joining ERS, James served as an
economist with the Joint Committee on Taxation in the U.S. House of
Representatives.
Education:James received a Ph.D. in economics from Syracuse University
in December of 2003. He also holds a B.S. in business
administration from the University of Vermont with a concentration
in finance and economics.
Professional Affiliations:James is a member of the American Agricultural Economics
Association, the Eastern Economic Association, and the Society of
Government Economists.
Selected Publications:"Estimating the Effects of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 on
the Home Health Care Use of the Dually Eligible: A Natural
Experiments Approach" Journal of Health and Social Policy
(Forthcoming December 2012).
"The Role of Information and Prices in the Nitrogen
Fertilizer Management Decision: New Evidence from the Agricultural
Resource Management Survey" Journal of Agricultural and
Resource Economics (2011) 36(3): 552-572.
"Tax-Deferred Exchanges of Farmland: Theory and Evidence from
Federal Tax Data" (With Ron Durst and Mike Brady), Agricultural
Finance Review (2010) 70(2): 214-230.
"Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Children's Health"
Eastern Economic Journal (2010) Volume 36: 423-449.
"Is Sustainability Achievable? Exploring the Limits of
Sustainability with Model Systems" (with Heriberto Cabezas,
Yogendra Shastri, and Urmila Diwekar), Environmental Science
& Technology (2008) 42(17): 6710-6716.
"Valuing Acid Mine Drainage Remediation in West Virginia: A
Hedonic Modeling Approach," (with Hale Thurston and Matthew
Heberling), Annals of Regional Science (2008)
42(4):987-999.
"Valuing Acid Mine Drainage Remediation in West Virginia: Benefit
Transfer with Preference Calibration" (with Hale Thurston and Matt
Heberling), Environmental Economics and Policy Studies
(2007) Volume 8, Number 4: 271-293.
"Income and Poverty in the United States in Comparative
Perspective: The Role of Income and Wealth in Guaranteeing Economic
Security" (With Timothy M. Smeeding, Eva Sierminska, Janet Gornick
and Andrea Brandolini), Public Policy and Aging Report
(2006) Volume 16, Number 3.
Reports
"Nitrogen in Agricultural Systems: Implications for
Conservation Policy" Economic Research Report No. (ERR-127) 98
pp, September 2011 (With Marc Ribaudo, Jorge Delgado, LeRoy Hansen,
Michael Livingston, and Roberto Mosheim).
"Targeting public investments for cost-effective wetlands
restoration/preservation" Economic Research Report (in progress)
(with LeRoy Hansen, Daniel Hellerstein, Marc Ribaudo).
Book Chapters
"Using Hedonic Modeling to Value AMD Remediation in the Cheat
River Watershed," in Environmental Economics for Watershed
Restoration. (Boca Raton: Taylor and Francis Group,
2009).
"Using Benefit Transfer to Value AMD Remediation in the Cheat
River Watershed," in Environmental Economics for Watershed
Restoration. (Boca Raton: Taylor and Francis Group,
2009).
Working Papers in Progress or Under
Review
"Providing Disaster Relief through the Tax Code: Hurricane Katrina
and the Gulf Opportunity Zone" (Under review with the National Tax
Journal).
"The Impact of Tax Reform of Farm Business and Rural Households"
(In progress, estimated submission date September 2012).
"Tax-Exempt Bond Financing for Beginning Farmers" (In progress
estimated submission date September 2012).