Nowcasting the Trajectory of the COVID-19 Recovery
I develop a weekly coincident index of economic activity in the State of Hawaii. The purpose of the index is to nowcast the recovery from
April 6, 2021
Working Papers
Sea Level Rise and Home Prices: Evidence from Long Island
Global sea level rise is a known consequence of climate change. As predictions of sea level rise have grown in magnitude and certainty, coastal real
March 31, 2021
The Impact of Recreational Marijuana Dispensaries on Crime: Evidence from a Lottery Experiment
Many North American jurisdictions have legalized the operation of recreational marijuana dispensaries. A common concern is that dispensaries may contribute to local crime. Identifying the
March 25, 2021
Cycling mode choice amongst US commuters: The role of climate and topography
Cycling to work is uncommon in most areas of the US, but relatively common in a particular set of metros and neighbourhoods. Explanations for this spatial
October 28, 2020
Pedestrian Deaths and Large Vehicles
Abstract: Traffic fatalities in the US have been rising among pedestrians even as they fall among motorists. Contemporaneously, the US has undergone a significant shift
October 20, 2020
Estimating water demand using price differences of wastewater services
Many homes in Hawai‘i use cesspools and other on-site disposal systems (OSDS) instead of the municipal sewer system. Because bills combine water and waste-water services,
July 27, 2020
How Will Climate Change Affect Water Demand? Evidence from Hawai‘i Microclimates
The effect that climate change will have on water resource sustainability is gaining international interest, particularly in regions where stocks are strained due to changing
July 27, 2020
Evaluating Protection Strategies for an Invasive Plant Species: Miconia calvescens
RESEARCH PAPERS ARE PRELIMINARY MATERIALS CIRCULATED TO STIMULATE DISCUSSION AND CRITICAL COMMENT. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE INDIVIDUAL AUTHORS. WHILE RESEARCH PAPERS BENEFIT
February 28, 2020
Do Natural Disasters Make Sustainable Growth Impossible?
We consider the prospects for sustainable growth using expected utility models of optimal investment under threat from natural disasters. Adoption of a continuous time, stochastic
January 6, 2020
Wellbeing and Housing Report Supplement
The goal of this report is to summarize how neighborhood housing price appreciation can impact quality of life beyond individual level impacts (see Love and
September 19, 2019
Drivers of well-being in Hawaii: Quantifying individual and community impacts
In Gallup’s annual well-being index, Hawaii occupied the #1 spot among US states for six out of the past 10 years (slipping to #3 in
September 19, 2019
Cabotage Sabotage? The Curious Case of the Jones Act
This paper examines the economic implications of the Jones Act, which is a 1920 U.S. cabotage law that restricts domestic waterborne shipments to American vessels.
September 9, 2019
Sources and Types of Big Data for Macroeconomic Forecasting
This chapter considers the types of Big Data that have proven useful for macroeconomic forecasting. It first presents the various definitions of Big Data, proposing
July 8, 2019
Combinatorial Optimization for Urban Planning: Strategic Demolition of Abandoned Houses in Baltimore, MD
In 2017, Baltimore City was awarded $75 million dollars earmarked for the targeted demolition of a portion of its 16,000 vacant and abandoned buildings. Selecting
July 8, 2019
Dynamic Factor Models
Dynamic factor models are parsimonious representations of relationships among time series variables. With the surge in data availability, they have proven to be indispensable in
July 8, 2019