Publications

Our research spans environmental economics, energy policy, economic history, and public health. Below are selected publications from the lab.

Published Papers

Carbon Rollercoaster: A Historical Analysis of Decarbonization in the United States
Karen Clay, Akshaya Jha, Joshua Lewis, and Edson Severnini
Journal of Economic Perspectives (Volume 39, Number 3, Summer 2025). NBER Working Paper No. 33983.

The Social Lifecycle Impacts of Power Plant Siting in the Historical United States
Karen Clay, Danae Hernandez-Cortes, Akshaya Jha, Joshua Lewis, Noah Miller, and Edson Severnini
Environmental and Energy Policy and the Economy (Volume 7, May 2025).

The Historical Impact of Coal on Cities
Karen Clay, Edson Severnini, and Joshua Lewis
Regional Science and Urban Economics (Volume 107, 2024, 103951). NBER Working Paper No. 31365.

Canary in a Coal Mine: Impact of Mid-20th Century Air Pollution on Infant Mortality and Property Values
Karen Clay, Joshua Lewis, and Edson Severnini
Review of Economics and Statistics (Volume 106, 2024, 698–711). NBER Working Paper No. 22155.

Evaluation of the Winter Pollution Mitigation Policy in China
Mengjia Ren and Akshaya Jha
Economics of Energy & Environmental Policy (Volume 13, Number 2, April 2024).

Timing Matters: Intra-day Shifts of Economic Activity and Ambient Ozone Concentrations
David Adler and Edson Severnini
Journal of Public Economics (Volume 223, 2023, 104905).

A Unifying Approach to Measuring Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation
Antonio Bento, Noah Miller, Mehreen Mookerjee, and Edson Severnini
Journal of Environmental Economics and Management (Volume 121, 2023, 102843).

Incidental Adaptation: The Role of Non-Climate Regulations
Antonio Bento, Noah Miller, Mehreen Mookerjee, and Edson Severnini
Environmental and Resource Economics (2023): 1–39.

Does LEED Certification Save Energy? Evidence from Retrofitted Federal Buildings
Karen Clay, Xiaochen Sun, and Edson Severnini
Journal of Environmental Economics and Management (Volume 121, 2023, 102866). NBER Working Paper No. 28612.

Considering the Nuclear Option: Hidden Benefits and Social Costs of Nuclear Power in the U.S. Since 1970
David Adler, Akshaya Jha, and Edson Severnini
Resource and Energy Economics (Volume 59, February 2020, 101127).

The External Costs of Transporting Petroleum Products by Pipelines and Rail: Evidence From Shipments of Crude Oil from North Dakota
Karen Clay, Akshaya Jha, Nicholas Muller, and Randall Walsh
Energy Journal (Volume 40, Number 1, 2019, 55–72). NBER Working Paper No. 23852.

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Working Papers

Impacts of the Clean Air Act on the Power Sector from 1938–1994: Anticipation and Adaptation
Karen Clay, Akshaya Jha, Joshua Lewis, and Edson Severnini
NBER Working Paper No. 28962.