University of Gothenburg
University of Gothenburg
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  4. Yonas Alem

Yonas Alem

Researcher

Environment for
Development
Telephone
+46 31-786 13 71
+46 704-19 59 89
Mail
yonas.alem@gu.se
Visiting address
Vasagatan 1
41124 Göteborg
Postal address
Box 600
40530 Göteborg

About Yonas Alem

Yonas Alem is the Director of Academic Programs at the Environment for Development (EfD) and an Associate Professor at the Department of Economics, University of Gothenburg. He is also a researcher at MIT's Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). His research is at the intersection of development economics, environmental economics, and behavioral and experimental economics with a particular focus on risk and shocks, energy and climate, technology adoption, preference formation, and poverty dynamics in the developing regions of Africa and South Asia. Alem's research uses panel data econometrics and impact evaluation methods, primarily large-scale randomized controlled trials.

Current Positions and Affiliations

Director, Academic Programs (EfD)

Associate Professor, Department of Economics

Researcher, Jameel-Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), King-Climate Initiative (K-CAI)

Recent Teaching

Advanced Panel Data Econometrics (PhD)

Causal Inference and Impact Evaluation (PhD)

Development Economics (PhD)

Academic Writing & Research Ethics (PhD)

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Alem, Y., & Tato, G. Shocks and Emotional Well-being: Panel Data Evidence from South Africa (Forthcoming, World Development).

Alem, Y. Kocher, M., Shurz, S., Carlsson, F. & Lindahl, M. (2023) Social Preference Networks, Forthcoming Experimental Economics.

Alem, Y., Hassen, S., and Köhlin, G. (2023) Decision-making within the Household: The Role of Division of Labor and Differences in Preferences, Forthcoming, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization.

Alem, Y., & Dugoua, E. (2022). Passive Learning and Incentivized Communication: A Randomized Controlled Trial in India Economic Development and Cultural Change, 71(1).

Alem, Y., & Colmer, J. (2022). Blame it on the rain: Rainfall variability, consumption smoothing, and subjective well-being in rural Ethiopia, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 104(3): 905-920.

Alem, Y., Behrend, H., Belot, M., & Biro, A.. (2021). Mind Training, Stress and Behaviour - a Randomised Experiment, PLOS ONE, 16(11): e0258172.

Alem, Y., & Demeke, E. (2020). The Persistence of Energy Poverty: A Dynamic Probit Analysis, Energy Economics, 90: 1-11.

Ruhinduka, R., Alem, Y., Eggert, H., & Lybbert, T. (2020). Paddy Post-Harvest: The Role of Prefer- ences in Storage and Processing Decisions of Tanzanian Rice Farmers, European Review of Agricultural Economics, 47(4): 1587-1620.

Alem, Y & Andersson, L. (2019). International Remittances and Private Inter-household Transfers: Exploring the Links, European Journal of Development Research, 31: 902-928.

Alem, Y., Eggert, H., Kocher, M., & Ruhinduka, R. (2018). Why (Field) Experiments on Unethical Behavior are Important: Comparing Stated and Revealed Behavior, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 156: 71-85.

Alem, Y., & Broussard, H. N. (2018). The impact of Safety Nets on Technology Adoption: A Difference- in-differences Analysis, Agricultural Economics, 49(1): 13-24.

Alem, Y., Damte, A., Köhlin, G., & Mekonen, A. (2016). Modelling Household Cooking Fuel Choice: a Random Effects Multinomial Logit Analysis, Energy Economics, 59: 129-137.

Alem, Y., Eggert, H., & Ruhinduka, R. (2015). Improving Welfare through Climate-friendly Agriculture: The Case of the System of Rice Intensification, Environmental and Resource Economics, 62: 243-263.

Alem, Y., (2015). Poverty persistence and intra-household heterogeneity in occupations: Evidence from urban Ethiopia, Oxford Development Studies, 43(1): 20-43.

Alem, Y., Hassen, S., & Köhlin, G. (2014). Adoption and Disadoption of Electric Cookstoves in Urban Ethiopia: Evidence from Panel Data, Resource and Energy Economics, 38: 110-124.

Sterner, T., Alem, Y. et al., (2014). The Environment for Development Initiative: lessons learned in re- search, academic capacity building and policy intervention to manage resources for sustainable growth, Environment and Development Economics, 19(3): 367-391.

Alem, Y., Köhlin, G., & Stage, J. (2014). The Persistence of subjective Poverty in Urban Ethiopia, World Development, 56: 51-61.

Alem, Y., and Köhlin, G. (2013). The Impact of Food Price Inflation on Subjective Well-being: Evidence from Urban Ethiopia, Social Indicators Research, 116: 853-868.

Ekbom, A., Alem, Y., and Sterner, T. (2013). Integrating Soil Science into Agricultural Production Frontiers. Environment and Development Economics, 18(3): 291-308.

Alem, Y., and Söderbom, M., (2012). Household-level consumption in urban Ethiopia: The effects of a large food price shock. World Development, 40: 146-162.

Alem, Y., Bezabih, M., Kassie, M., and Zikhali, P. (2010). Does fertilizer use respond to rainfall variability? Panel data evidence from Ethiopia. Agricultural Economics, 41: 165-175.

Articles Under Consideration

Alem, Y. and Schurz, S. Parental Decision-Making and Educational Investments: Experimental Evi- dence from Tanzania (Revise & Resubmit, Journal of Development Economics).

Alem, Y. Mitigating Climate Change through Sustainable Technology Adoption: Insights from Cook- stove Interventions (Under Review)

Alem, Y. & Ruhinduka, R. Saving Africa’s Tropical Forests through Energy Transition: a Randomised Controlled Trial in Tanzania (Under Review).

Alem, Y., and Abebe, M. Drought, Livestock Holding, and Milk Production: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis (Under Review)

Ongoing Research

Inconsistency Across Inter-temporal Choices (With John Loeser, World Bank and Aprajit Mahajan, University of California Berkeley)

Reducing Biomass Fuel Use and Improving Productivity of Firms: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Tanzania (With John Loeser, World Bank, and Remidius Ruhinduka, University of Dar es Salaam)

The Impact of a Large-Scale Climatic Shock on Technology Use: Exploring the Mechanisms (With Meseret Abebe)

The Impact of Improved Cookstoves Beyond Fuelwood Saving: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Rural Ethiopia (With Seid Hassen, Policy Study Institute, and Gunnar Kohlin, EfD Global Hub)