Alexander Pfaff

Alexander Pfaff

Duke University

Alex is an Associate Professor of Public Policy, Economics and Environment at Duke University’s Sanford Institute of Public Policy. He is an environment and natural resource economist whose work frequently focuses on developing countries. His current research examines the impacts of roads, protected areas and payments for ecosystem services on deforestation (Brazilian Amazon, Costa Rica, Mexico); what drives decisions that lower harmful exposures, such as to indoor emissions (Pakistan, Tanzania, Ghana) and arsenic in drinking water (Bangladesh); how households respond to climate and water shocks in daily production decisions and when faced with new tradeoffs by water policies (N.E. Brazil); and how regulators might shift the incentives for firms to provide environmental information. The goal of his applied research is to raise the chance that interventions have their intended impacts on the environment and natural resources while benefiting the people they are designed to help. Alex holds a Bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a PhD in Economics from MIT.