Economics

Economists Estimate Threats of Climate Change in Oregon

ECONOMICS - Researchers at the University of Oregon are collaborating with economists from Reed College and the private sector to develop a report that shows Oregonians the cost of climate change to households and government agencies. The team has been writing reports that examine the costs increased wildfires could have on households, the looming threat of flooding in Oregon and policy recommendations for how the state could adapt to climate change.

Economics for a Healthier Planet

ECONOMICS - How much do Americans value clean water versus affordable meat? These are the types of tradeoffs Emmett Reynier had to weigh while participating in a research fellowship with the US Environmental Protection Agency. Reynier graduated with a PhD in economics in winter 2025 and is off to a postdoc job at Stanford University and then will be a faculty member at University of Georgia.

Defying the odds

ECONOMICS, SPANISH - Adrianna Vaca-Navarro has spent her life fighting against a system that was built against people like her. Now, she is a law student working to help others in need. Vaca-Navarro graduated in 2021. Now, she's a law student at the University of California, Berkeley. She is working to leverage her identity to help communities in need, aiming to fill the gaps within the legal system that she is studying.

New economic forum begins to tally costs of climate change for Oregonians

ECONOMICS - The cost of wildfire smoke could cost Oregon households $450 per day as they try to adapt by purchasing air purifiers, canceling trips and keeping children at home to minimize their exposure, according to a study led by a five-member nonpartisan group of economists and policy experts that includes economics researcher Keaton Miller from CAS. The Forum on Oregon Climate Economics, or FORCE, recently issued its first report, “The Economic Costs of Climate Change for Oregonians: A First Look.”

Daylight saving time linked to lost worker productivity

ECONOMICS - Rather than affecting workers for just a day or two, the adjustment to daylight saving time can affect worker productivity for up to two weeks, said Glen Waddell, a UO labor economist and co-author of new research in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. He collaborated on the paper with Andrew Dickinson, a doctoral student in economics at the College of Arts and Sciences.

UO study shows immigrants brings financial benefit

ECONOMICS - Immigration is a part of the United States’s DNA, but it’s long been a contentious political subject. Economic models have found immigration to be a fiscal cost, but a recent study by a University of Oregon economist challenges these findings, showing that low-skilled immigrants on average contribute an additional $750 in annual fiscal benefits not previously accounted for.