Yonas Alem
Om Yonas Alem
I work as the Director of Academic Programs at the Environment for Development (EfD) and an Associate Professor at the Department of Economics, University of Gothenburg. I’m also a researcher at MIT's Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). My research is at the intersection of Development Microeconomics, Behavioral and Experimental Economics, and Environmental Economics with particular focus in the developing regions of Africa and South Asia. My research mostly uses panel data econometrics and impact evaluation methods, primarily large-scale randomized controlled trials. I’m on a research sabbatical at the School of Economics, University of Cape Town, until June 30, 2025.
Current Positions and Affiliations
Visiting Professor, University of Cape Town
Director, Academic Programs (EfD)
Associate Professor, Department of Economics
Researcher, Jameel-Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), King-Climate Initiative (K-CAI)
Recent Teaching
Causal Inference and Impact Evaluation (PhD)
Advanced Panel Data Econometrics (PhD)
Development Economics (PhD)
Academic Writing & Research Ethics (PhD)
Randomized Controlled Trials (Graduate Level)
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Alem, Y., & Ruhinduka, R. (2025). Reducing Emission of CO2 from Africa's Tropical Forests: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Forthcoming, World Bank Economic Review.
Abebe, M., & Alem, Y. (2025). Drought, Livestock Holding and Milk Production: A Difference-in-differences Analysis, Forthcoming, European Review of Agricultural Economics.
Alem, Y., Hassen, S., and Köhlin, G. (2023) Decision-making within the Household: The Role of Division of Labor and Differences in Preferences, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, (207):511-528). Open Access: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167268123000215
Alem, Y. Kocher, M., Shurz, S., Carlsson, F. & Lindahl, M. (2023) Distributional Preferences in Adolescent Peer Networks, Experimental Economics. 26: 223-248. Open Access: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10683-022-09775-6
Alem, Y., & Tato, G. Shocks and Emotional Well-being: Panel Data Evidence from South Africa World Development, 168: 1-11. Open Access: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X23000888
Alem, Y., & Dugoua, E. (2022). Passive Learning and Incentivized Communication: A Randomized Controlled Trial in India, Economic Development and Cultural Change, 71(1). WP Version: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/231321/1/174930161X.pdf
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. Open Access: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ajae.12253
Alem, Y., Behrend, H., Belot, M., & Biro, A.. (2021). Mind Training, Stress and Behaviour - a Randomised Experiment, PLOS ONE, 16(11): e0258172. Open Access: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0258172
Alem, Y., & Demeke, E. (2020). The Persistence of Energy Poverty: A Dynamic Probit Analysis, Energy Economics, 90: 1-11. Open Access: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988320301298
Ruhinduka, R., Alem, Y., Eggert, H., & Lybbert, T. (2020). Paddy Post-Harvest: The Role of Preferences 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. https://academic.oup.com/erae/article/47/4/1587/5743507
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. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167268118302427
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. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/agec.12392
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. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988316301748
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., Loeser, J., & Mahajan, A. Intertemporal Choice Bracketing and the Measurement of Time Preferences (Under Review)
Alem, Y. Mitigating Climate Change through Sustainable Technology Adoption: Insights from Cookstove Interventions (Under Review)
Alem, Y., & Hassen, S. (2025). The Impact of Improved Cookstoves Beyond Fuelwood Saving: A Randomized Controlled Trial (with
Tato, G., & Alem, Y. The Scars of Child Labor: Long-term Impacts on Youth Employment and Earnings (Under Review)
Abebe, M., & Alem, Y. Covariate Shocks Increase Calorie Consumption: Unraveling the Paradox (Under Review).
Ongoing Research
Power Outage, Firm Productivity and Generator Use: A Regression Discontinuity Analysis [Fieldwork Complete]
Information Nudges and WTP for Solar Water Heaters: A Randomized Controlled Trial on Enterprises [Fieldwork Complete].
The Double Dividends of Solar Water Heaters: A Randomized Controlled Trial on Enterprises ([Fieldwork On-going]).
Adaptation and Resilience: Evidence from an Anticipated Drought (With Meseret Abebe)