Sarah Jacobson

How to Learn to Stop Worrying and Love the Job Market

This article conveys information and advice about the job market process for candidates completing their PhDs in economics in the United States. I discuss the mechanics of the job market process in great detail, from the preparatory work before the market starts to the steps after accepting an offer. Throughout, I answer common job market-related questions and discuss ways to make the process more manageable and less stressful. The focus is on students from non-top-tier universities, although the advice applies equally well to students from top schools.

Policies with Varying Costs and Benefits: A Land Conservation Classroom Game

ABSTRACT Some policies try to maximize net benefits by targeting different individuals to participate. This is difficult when costs and benefits of participation vary independently, such as in land conservation. The authors share a classroom game that explores cases in which minimizing costs may not maximize benefits and vice versa. The game is a contextually rich pedagogical tool, putting students in the role of landowners who must decide whether to conserve land in different policy environments: flat conservation payments, agglomeration bonuses, and a conservation auction. Students learn about specific issues in land conservation, ecosystem services, preferences for nonmoney outcomes, and general issues in policymaking. The game is suited to classes in environmental, resource, agricultural, and policy economics, and more general classes in microeconomics and public policy.