James Sears

James Sears is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at Michigan State University. He joined the faculty in 2022 after completing his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley.12

Dr. Sears is an applied microeconomist specializing in environmental and consumer behavioral economics. His research focuses on several key areas:

1. Urban water use and drought policy design
2. National, state, and local nutrition assistance programs
3. Consumer decision-making
4. Applied microeconometrics

A significant part of Dr. Sears' work involves studying how consumers and producers respond to unexpected economic shocks, such as environmental changes, information updates, social factors, or new public policies.12 He uses advanced econometric techniques and combines administrative and spatial data to identify causal effects and explore heterogeneous responses to these shocks.

In terms of teaching, Dr. Sears concentrates on data analytics. He currently teaches two courses:

1. AFRE 203: Data Analysis for the Agri-Food System (undergraduate level)
2. AFRE 891: Data Analytics and Emerging Methods in Applied Economics (graduate level)

His teaching aims to equip students with skills in data manipulation, analysis, and communication, as well as modern economics research methods.2

Dr. Sears has published research in various journals, including The American Journal of Health Economics and Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment. His work has been featured in national news outlets like The Wall Street Journal, and he has been interviewed by regional news sources such as Bridge Michigan.2

Throughout his career, Dr. Sears has demonstrated a commitment to producing research that is not only academically rigorous but also actionable and beneficial to stakeholders in the community and the broader Michigan region.1 His goal is to inform policy and engage with stakeholders to address real-world issues in food and agricultural economics.