Jay Shimshack’s primary fields are environmental regulation, environmental economics, corporate social behavior, and applied microeconomics for public policy. He is a leading expert on the economics of environmental enforcement, monitoring, and compliance. Other research interests include the distributional effects of environmental policy; the economics of corporate social responsibility, sustainable business, and ESG issues; the choice of environmental policy instruments including information and transparency; and the benefits and costs of environmental, energy, food safety, and health policies.
Selected Working Papers:
“Cancer and industrial activities in China,” w/ X. Zhang and H. Yin. Revisions requested.
Selected Published and Forthcoming Research:
“Environmental Citizen Complaints,” w/ J. Colmer and M.F. Evans. Journal of Political Economy Microeconomics. Published online December 2025. https://doi.org/10.1086/740210 .
“The effect of compliance assistance on pollution discharges and violations of environmental regulations,” w/ P. Ferraro. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. Published online August 2025. https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.70056 .
“Costly sanctions and the treatment of frequent violators in regulatory settings,” w/ M. B. Ward. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management (JEEM). 116 (October 2022): Article 102745.
“Environmental justice in urban Mexico: Evidence from toxic water pollution,” w/ L. Chakraborti. Resource and Energy Economics (Res Energy Econ). 67(February 2022): Article 101281. Preprint Working Paper.
“The Evolution of the ‘Waters of the United States’ and the Role of Economics,” w/ D. Keiser, S. Olmstead, K. Boyle, V. Flatt, B. Keeler, D. Phaneuf, and J. Shapiro. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy (REEP). 16:1 (Winter 2022): 146-152.
“Why are Pollution Damages Lower in Developed Countries? Insights from High-Income, High-Particulate Matter Hong Kong,” w/ J. Colmer, D. Lin, and S. Liu. Journal of Health Economics (JHE). 79 (September 2021): Article 102511. Preprint Working Paper.
“New water rule turns a blind eye to transboundary pollution: We can’t presume that states will fill gaps in federal oversight,” w/ D. Keiser, S. Olmstead, K. Boyle, V. Flatt, B. Keeler, C. Kling, and D. Phaneuf, J. Shapiro. Science (SCIENCE). 372(6539) (16April2021): 241-243.
“Hurricanes and Gasoline Price Gouging,” w/ T. Beatty and G. Lade. Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economics (JAERE). 8(2) (March 2021): 347–374. Preprint Working Paper.
“Disparities in PM2.5 air pollution in the United States,” w/ J. Colmer, I. Hardman, and J. Voorheis. Science (SCIENCE). 369(6503) (31July2020): 575-578. Ungated, free version available here. Bulleted summary here. General audience companion piece here.
“Disaster preparedness and disaster response: Evidence from sales of emergency supplies before and after hurricanes,” w/ T. Beatty and R. Volpe. Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economics (JAERE). 6(4) (July 2019): 633-668. Preprint Working Paper.
“Enforcement spillovers: Lessons from strategic interactions in regulation and product markets,” w/ M. Evans and S. Gilpatric. Journal of Law and Economics (J Law Econ). 61 (November 2018): 739-769. Preprint Working Paper.
“Valuing Marine Diversity in the Gulf of Mexico: Evidence from the Proposed Boundary Expansion of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary,” w/ S. Stefanski. Marine Resource Economics (MRE). 31(2) (April 2016): 211-232. Preprint Working Paper.
“Environmental Disclosure: Evidence from Newsweek’s Green Companies Ranking,” w/ T. Lyon. Business and Society (BAS). 54(5) (September 2015): 632-675. Preprint Working Paper.
“Environmental Enforcement and Compliance: Lessons from Pollution, Safety, and Tax Settings,” w/James Alm. Foundations and Trends in Microeconomics (FnT). 10 (December 2014): 209-274. Preprint Working Paper.
“The Economics of Environmental Monitoring and Enforcement: A Review,” Annual Review of Resource Economics (ARRE). 6 (October 2014): 339–60. Preprint Working Paper.
“Air Pollution and Children’s Health: a Cohort Analysis,” w/ Timothy Beatty. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management (JEEM). 7(1) (January 2014): 39-57. Preprint Working Paper.
“Economic Perspectives on Corporate Social Responsibility,” w/ Markus Kitzmueller. Journal of Economic Literature (JEL). 50(1) (March 2012): 51-84. Preprint Working Paper.
"Absolute Humidity, Temperature, and Influenza Mortality: 30 Years of County-Level Evidence from the United States,” w/ Alan Barreca. American Journal of Epidemiology (AJE). 176 (2012): S114-S122. Preprint Working Paper.
“School Buses, Diesel Emissions, and Respiratory Health,” w/ Timothy Beatty. Journal of Health Economics (JHE) 30(5) (September 2011): 987-999. Preprint Working Paper.
“The Effectiveness of Environmental Monitoring and Enforcement: A Review of the Empirical Evidence,” w/ W, Gray. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy (REEP). 5(1) (Winter 2011): 3-24. Preprint Working Paper.
“Mercury Advisories and Household Health Trade-offs,” w/ M.B. Ward. Journal of Health Economics (JHE) 29(5) (September 2010): 674-685. Preprint Working Paper.
“The Impact of Climate Change Information: New Evidence from the Stock Market,” w/ Timothy Beatty. B.E. Journals Contributions to Economic Analysis and Policy (BEJEAP). 10:1 (2010): Article 105. Preprint Working Paper.
“Public & Private Enforcement: Substitutes or Complements?” w/ C. Langpap.” Journal of Environmental Economics and Management (JEEM) 59(3) (May 2010): 235-249. Preprint Working Paper.
“Mandatory Information Disclosure in the Electricity Industry,” w/ M. Delmas and M. Montes. Economic Inquiry (ECIN) 48(2) (April 2010): 483-498. Preprint Working Paper.
“Enforcement and Over-compliance,” with M.B. Ward. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management (JEEM) 55(1) (January 2008): 90-105. Preprint Working Paper.
“Curbside Recycling in the Presence of Alternatives,” with T.K.M. Beatty and P. Berck. Economic Inquiry (ECIN) 45(4) (October 2007): 739-755. Preprint Working Paper.
"Mercury Advisories: Information, Education, and Fish Consumption,” with M.B. Ward and T.K.M. Beatty. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management (JEEM) 53(2) (March 2007): 158-179. Preprint Working Paper.
“Regulator Reputation, Enforcement, and Environmental Compliance,” with M.B. Ward. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management (JEEM) 50(3) (November 2005):519-540. Preprint Working Paper.
“The Effects of the Private-Label Invasion in Food Industries,” with M.B. Ward, J. M. Perloff, and J.M. Harris. American Journal of Agricultural Economics (AJAE) 84(4) (November 2002): 961-973. Preprint Working Paper.
Research Tips for Agricultural, Environmental, and Applied Economics:
“Practical Tips for Writing and Publishing Applied Economics Papers,” w/ T. Beatty.