Anna Josephson

Interests

Research

-Intra-household dynamics -Role of gender and women-Disasters, recovery, and resilience

Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Books

• Josephson, A., & Michler, J. (2023). RESEARCH ETHICS IN APPLIED ECONOMICS. Taylor and Francis. doi:10.4324/9781003025061
  More info

  Emphasizing the new challenges posed by the data science revolution, digital media, and changing norms, Research Ethics in Applied Economics examines the ethical issues faced by quantitative social scientists at each stage of the research process. The first section of the book considers project development, including issues of project management, selection bias in asking research questions, and political incentives in the development and funding of research ideas. The second section addresses data collection and analysis, discussing concerns about participant rights, data falsification, data management, specification search, p-hacking, and replicability. The final section focuses on sharing results with academic audiences and beyond, with an emphasis on self-plagiarism, social media, and the importance of achieving policy impact. The discussion and related recommendations highlight emergent issues in research ethics. Featuring perspectives from experienced researchers on how they address ethical issues, this book provides practical guidance to both students and experienced practitioners seeking to navigate ethical issues in their applied economics research.

Journals/Publications

• Josephson, A., Michler, J. D., Kilic, T., & Murray, S. (2026). The mismeasure of weather: Using earth observation data for estimation of socioeconomic outcomes. Journal of Development Economics, 178(Issue). doi:10.1016/j.jdeveco.2025.103553
  More info

  The availability of weather data from remotely sensed earth observation (EO) products has reduced the cost to economists of including weather variables in econometric models. Weather variables are common instrumental variables used to predict socioeconomic outcomes and serve as an input into modeling crop productivity in rainfed agriculture. The use of EO data in econometric applications has only recently been met with a critical assessment of the suitability and quality of this data in economics. We document variability in estimates of agricultural productivity in six countries in Sub-Saharan Africa using nine different EO data products. By varying the source of the EO data we demonstrate the magnitude and significance of measurement error. We find that estimates are not robust to the choice of EO data and outcomes are not simply affine transformations of one another. This begs caution on the part of researchers using these data and suggests that robustness checks should include testing alternative sources of EO data.
• Michler, J. D., Al Rafi, D. A., Giezendanner, J., Josephson, A., Pede, V. O., & Tellman, E. (2026). Impact evaluations in data-scarce environments: The case of stress-tolerant rice varieties in Bangladesh. Journal of Development Economics, 179(Issue). doi:10.1016/j.jdeveco.2025.103648
  More info

  New technologies are sometimes introduced at times or in places that lack the necessary data to conduct a well-identified impact evaluation. We develop a methodology that combines Earth Observation (EO) data and deep learning with administrative and survey data so as to allow researchers to conduct impact evaluations when traditional economic data is missing. To demonstrate our method, we study stress tolerant rice varieties (STRVs) first introduced to Bangladesh 15 years ago. Using EO data on rice production and flooding for the entire country, spanning two decades, we find evidence of STRV effectiveness. We highlight how the nature of the technology, which is only effective under a specific set of circumstances, creates a Goldilocks Problem that EO data is particularly well suited to addressing. Our findings speak to the promises and challenges of using EO data to conduct impact evaluations in data-scarce environments.
• Furbush, A. M., Josephson, A., Kilic, T., & Michler, J. D. (2025). Coping or hoping? Livelihood diversification and food insecurity in the COVID-19 pandemic. Food Policy, 131(Issue). doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2025.102819
  More info

  We examine the relationship between livelihood diversification and food insecurity amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Our analysis uses household panel data from Ethiopia, Malawi, and Nigeria in which the first round was collected immediately prior to the pandemic and extends through multiple rounds of monthly data collection during the pandemic. Using this pre- and post-outbreak data, and guided by a pre-analysis plan, we estimate conditional associations between livelihood diversification and food insecurity. Our results do not support the hypothesis that livelihood diversification correlates with household resilience. Though income diversification may serve as an effective coping mechanism for small-scale shocks, we find that for a disaster on the scale of the pandemic this strategy is not effective. Policymakers looking to prepare for the increased occurrence of large-scale disasters will need to grapple with the fact that coping strategies that gave people hope in the past may fail them as they try to cope with the future.
• Josephson, A. (2024). Intra-household management of resources: evidence from Malawi. Review of Economics of the Household, 23(Issue 1). doi:10.1007/s11150-024-09698-6
  More info

  I examine assumptions about intra-household resource allocation, using panel from the World Bank’s Living Standards Measurement Study and Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data. I test for the complete pooling of household resources after the experience of a transitory shock, accounting for income earned individually by men and women, as well as income earned jointly by multiple household members. I find evidence that food expenditures do not respond to shocks; household members pool resources for this expenditure, even when individuals face substantial shocks to their income. All other expenditures respond to shocks. These findings are robust to inclusion and exclusion of income earned jointly, as well as controlling for household-level unobserved preference heterogeneity. This study extends our understanding of intra-household behavior, beyond standard utility, collective, and non-cooperative conceptions of the household in a panel data context.
• Wang, Z., Josephson, A., & Dizon, F. (2024). Intra-household inequality in food expenditures and diet quality in the Philippines. Food Security, 17(Issue 1). doi:10.1007/s12571-024-01485-6
  More info

  Many welfare measures, including food expenditures and diet quality, are based on household-level aggregates. This is grounded in the assumption that resources are equally or equitably distributed among household members. Individual-level measures of food expenditures and diet quality may paint a more accurate picture of welfare. We find differences between household- and individual-level measurements of food expenditures and diet quality in the Philippines. We find that 25 percent of food poor individuals live in households that are not classified as food poor. This suggests potential misclassification of individuals if classifications are based on household-level measures. We further find intra-household inequalities in diet quality. Many women and children do not meet the recommended consumption for starchy staples and for meat, fish, and pulses, even within households which, in aggregate, are able to meet the recommended consumption. However, consumption of vegetables, fruits, eggs, and milk is equally low across all household members.
• Clay, L. A., Koyratty, N., Rogus, S., Colón-Ramos, U., Hossan, A., Josephson, A., Neff, R., Zack, R. M., Bliss, S., & Niles, M. T. (2023). A Mixed-Methods Approach to the Development of a Disaster Food Security Framework. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 123(10S), S46-S58.
  More info

  Limited research on food systems and food insecurity (FI) following disasters finds contextual differences in post-disaster food systems that shape dimensions of FI. Measurement limitations make it difficult to address FI and develop effective practices for disaster-affected communities.
• Clay, L., Koyratty, N., Rogus, S., Hossan, A., Josephson, A., Neff, R., Zack, R., Bliss, S., Niles, M., & Colón-Ramos, U. (2023). A Mixed-Methods Approach to the Development of a Disaster Food Security Framework. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 123(10). doi:10.1016/j.jand.2023.05.005
  More info

  Background: Limited research on food systems and food insecurity (FI) following disasters finds contextual differences in post-disaster food systems that shape dimensions of FI. Measurement limitations make it difficult to address FI and develop effective practices for disaster-affected communities. Objective: To develop, validate, and test a Disaster Food Security Framework (DFSF). Design: Mixed-methods approach was used, including in-depth interviews to understand lived experiences during disasters; expert panel input to validate DFSF designed using responses from in-depth interviews; and quantitative testing of robustness of DFSF using the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic as a disaster example. Participants and setting: The in-depth interviews included participants from Vermont (n = 5), North Carolina (n = 3), and Oklahoma (n = 2) who had been living in those states during Hurricane Irene (2011), Hurricane Florence (2018), the Moore tornadoes (2013), and coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic (2020). The expert panel consisted of researchers and practitioners from different US geographical regions and food-related disciplines (n = 18). For the quantitative testing survey, data from 4 US states (New York, New Mexico, Vermont, and Maryland; n = 3,228) from the National Food Access and COVID Research Team was used. Main outcome measures: The outcomes from the in-depth interviews were dimensions of disaster FI, those from the expert panel was a content validity ratio, and those from the quantitative testing was the number of items and components to be included. Analyses performed: Inductive and deductive reasoning were using when reporting on the in-depth interviews and expert panel results, including frequencies. The quantitative testing was conducted using multiple correspondence analysis. Results: The in-depth interviews revealed four dimensions of FI: availability (supply and donation), accessibility (economic, physical, and social), acceptability (preference and health), and agency (infrastructure and self-efficacy). The panel of experts reported high content validity for the DFSF and its dimensions (content validity ratio >0.42), thus giving higher credibility to the DFSF. Multiple correspondence analysis performed on 25 food-related variables identified one component with 13 indicators representing three of the four dimensions: availability, acceptability, and accessibility, but not agency.
• Githu, D. W., Fehmi, J. S., & Josephson, A. (2022). Pastoralist herd size maintenance during drought with the use of reseeded fields near Lake Baringo, Kenya. Pastoralism, 12(Issue 1). doi:10.1186/s13570-022-00238-4
  More info

  Land degradation, loss of access to land resources, climate variability, socio-economic changes, and population increase are among the factors that contribute to forage shortage among the pastoral communities. The loss of forage is critical, especially when droughts are frequent and prolonged. Interventions to improve pastoralists’ resilience include policies that encourage livelihood diversification, that is, promoting enterprises that are less impacted by climate variability. This paper evaluates a reseeding project among pastoralists from Lake Baringo, Kenya, with the goal of rehabilitating degraded lands. Field owners participated in a survey and answered both quantitative and qualitative questions relating to their field and household characteristics. We use livestock herd size to assess households’ conditions. We hypothesize that field characteristics including total land size reseeded, the total number of fields and the number of field locations, years of experience of working in reseeded fields, type of management, fencing, and the number of income-generating activities have an effect on herd size maintenance during drought. We find that the total number of fields and the number of income-generating activities have significant explanatory power in predicting a household’s ability to maintain its herd size during drought. These factors are related to fine-scale control over land use which contributes to maintaining herd size. These findings suggest that reseeding by local pastoralists could be replicated and up-scaled into other dryland counties of Kenya and sub-Saharan Africa as a promising intervention to improve resilience to climate variability, alleviate poverty, and improve environmental conditions.
• Michler, J., Josephson, A., Kilic, T., & Murray, S. (2022). Privacy protection, measurement error, and the integration of remote sensing and socioeconomic survey data. Journal of Development Economics, 158(Issue). doi:10.1016/j.jdeveco.2022.102927
  More info

  When publishing socioeconomic survey data, survey programs implement a variety of statistical methods designed to preserve privacy but which come at the cost of distorting the data. We explore the extent to which spatial anonymization methods to preserve privacy in the large-scale surveys supported by the World Bank Living Standards Measurement Study-Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) introduce measurement error in econometric estimates when that survey data is integrated with remote sensing weather data. Guided by a pre-analysis plan, we produce 90 linked weather-household datasets that vary by the spatial anonymization method and the remote sensing weather product. By varying the data along with the econometric model we quantify the magnitude and significance of measurement error coming from the loss of accuracy that results from privacy protection measures. We find that spatial anonymization techniques currently in general use have, on average, limited to no impact on estimates of the relationship between weather and agricultural productivity. However, the degree to which spatial anonymization introduces mismeasurement is a function of which remote sensing weather product is used in the analysis. We conclude that care must be taken in choosing a remote sensing weather product when looking to integrate it with publicly available survey data.
• Rudin-Rush, L., Michler, J. D., Josephson, A., & Bloem, J. R. (2022). Food insecurity during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in four African countries. Food policy, 111, 102306.
  More info

  We document trends in food security up to one full year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in four African countries. Using household-level data collected by the World Bank, we highlight differences over time amid the pandemic, between rural and urban areas, and between female-headed and male-headed households within Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Nigeria. We first observe a sharp increase in food insecurity during the early months of the pandemic with a subsequent gradual decline. Next, we find that food insecurity has increased more in rural areas than in urban areas relative to pre-pandemic data within each of these countries. Finally, we do not find a systematic difference in changes in food insecurity between female-headed and male-headed households. These trends complement previous microeconomic analysis studying short-term changes in food security associated with the pandemic and existing macroeconomic projections.
• Rudin-Rush, L., Michler, J., Josephson, A., & Bloem, J. (2022). Food insecurity during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in four African countries. Food Policy, 111(Issue). doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2022.102306
  More info

  We document trends in food security up to one full year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in four African countries. Using household-level data collected by the World Bank, we highlight differences over time amid the pandemic, between rural and urban areas, and between female-headed and male-headed households within Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Nigeria. We first observe a sharp increase in food insecurity during the early months of the pandemic with a subsequent gradual decline. Next, we find that food insecurity has increased more in rural areas than in urban areas relative to pre-pandemic data within each of these countries. Finally, we do not find a systematic difference in changes in food insecurity between female-headed and male-headed households. These trends complement previous microeconomic analysis studying short-term changes in food security associated with the pandemic and existing macroeconomic projections.
• Banerjee, S., Grogan, K. A., Hilsenroth, J., Josephson, A., Palm‐Forster, L. H., Plakias, Z. T., Wade, T., & Walters, L. M. (2021). Past, present, and future: Status of women and minority faculty in agricultural and applied economics. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 44(1), 71-91. doi:10.1002/aepp.13191
  More info

  As with many academic fields in the United States, white male faculty have historically been the norm in the agricultural and applied economics profession, but demographics in the field have started to shift over the past several decades. This paper presents descriptive evidence of the current and historical status of underrepresented and historically underserved groups in our profession, including white women and racial and ethnic minorities of all genders. It also provides a snapshot of perceptions of departmental climate, data on incidents of harassment and discrimination in our profession, motivations for switching academic institutions, and finally, data on strategies for retaining faculty from diverse groups.
• Dizon, F. J., Josephson, A., & Raju, D. (2021). Pathways to better nutrition in South Asia: Evidence on the effects of food and agricultural interventions. Global Food Security, 28(Issue), 100467. doi:10.1016/j.gfs.2020.100467
  More info

  Abstract In South Asia, nearly half a billion people are malnourished. This paper examines the links of food and agriculture with nutrition in South Asia, with the goal of informing policy to reduce hunger and malnutrition in the region. We investigate pathways including public food transfer programs, agricultural diversification, and different methods of food fortification. We find that public food transfer programs, used to make food available and affordable to poor households, are often unable to significantly protect or promote nutrition. But several supply-side food and agricultural interventions show promise in improving nutrition, although their effects have yet to be well identified. These include the cultivation of home gardens, animal agriculture, and use of biofortification and post-harvest fortification. All these efforts to reduce hunger and malnutrition will be futile, however, without parallel efforts to mitigate rising challenges in the region, including those posed by climate change, urbanization, food loss and food waste, and food safety hazards.
• Josephson, A., & Shively, G. E. (2021). Unanticipated events, perceptions, and household labor allocation in Zimbabwe. World Development, 141(Issue), 105377. doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105377
  More info

  Abstract This paper investigates labor allocation as a strategy for coping with unanticipated events. We evaluate household responses to unforeseen death and rainfall shocks in Zimbabwe, during a period in which many households were already stressed due to the country’s long-term economic crisis. In this context, shocks compound existing stresses. Different types of shocks disparately affect household labor allocation. Household perceptions about the shocks experienced also shift labor use. Perceived rainfall shocks positively affect the share of labor allocated to migration-related activities and negatively affect the share of labor allocated to non-participation.
• Josephson, A., Kilic, T., & Michler, J. D. (2021). Socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 in low-income countries. Nature human behaviour, 5(5), 557-565.
  More info

  The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and attempts to limit its spread have resulted in a contraction of the global economy. Here we document the socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic among households, adults and children in low-income countries. To do so, we rely on longitudinal household survey data from Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria and Uganda, originating from pre-COVID-19 face-to-face household surveys plus phone surveys implemented during the pandemic. We estimate that 256 million individuals-77% of the population-live in households that have lost income during the pandemic. Attempts to cope with this loss are exacerbated by food insecurity and an inability to access medicine and staple foods. Finally, we find that student-teacher contact has dropped from a pre-COVID-19 rate of 96% to just 17% among households with school-aged children. These findings can inform decisions by governments and international organizations on measures to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Josephson, A., Masters, W. A., & Michler, J. D. (2021). Research ethics beyond the IRB: Selection bias and the direction of innovation in applied economics. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 43(4), 1352-1365. doi:10.1002/aepp.13132
  More info

  Principles for ethical behavior in the context of research are codified into rules that may change over time to meet peoples’ needs in specific institutions, including universities and professional associations. This paper aims to spark discussion about a set of ethical choices beyond those addressed by an IRB or recent association policy statements. Our specific focus is topic selection and the role of researchers’ interests and incentives in determining the kinds of research that we do. Using the principle of induced innovation, we show how changing incentives can influence the direction of research effort and thereby affect the kinds of policies or technologies that are supported by available evidence. With this paper, we hope to generate discussion among applied economists about selection bias in research and how we can use insights from economics itself to guide topic selection. JEL CLASSIFICATION: A11; A14; B41; Q00.
• Niles, M. T., Beavers, A. W., Clay, L. A., Dougan, M. M., Pignotti, G. A., Rogus, S., Savoie-Roskos, M. R., Schattman, R. E., Zack, R. M., Acciai, F., Allegro, D., Belarmino, E. H., Bertmann, F., Biehl, E., Birk, N., Bishop-Royse, J., Bozlak, C., Bradley, B., Brenton, B. P., , Buszkiewicz, J., et al. (2021). A Multi-Site Analysis of the Prevalence of Food Insecurity in the United States, before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Current developments in nutrition, 5(12), nzab135.
  More info

  The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic profoundly affected food systems including food security. Understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted food security is important to provide support and identify long-term impacts and needs.
• Niles, M., Beavers, A., Clay, L., Dougan, M., Pignotti, G., Rogus, S., Savoie-Roskos, M., Schattman, R., Zack, R., Acciai, F., Allegro, D., Belarmino, E., Bertmann, F., Biehl, E., Birk, N., Bishop-Royse, J., Bozlak, C., Bradley, B., Brenton, B., , Buszkiewicz, J., et al. (2021). A Multi-Site Analysis of the Prevalence of Food Insecurity in the United States, before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Current Developments in Nutrition, 5(12). doi:10.1093/cdn/nzab135
  More info

  Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic profoundly affected food systems including food security. Understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted food security is important to provide support and identify long-term impacts and needs. Objective: The National Food Access and COVID research Team (NFACT) was formed to assess food security over different US study sites throughout the pandemic, using common instruments and measurements. This study presents results from 18 study sites across 15 states and nationally over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A validated survey instrument was developed and implemented in whole or part through an online survey of adults across the sites throughout the first year of the pandemic, representing 22 separate surveys. Sampling methods for each study site were convenience, representative, or high-risk targeted. Food security was measured using the USDA 6-item module. Food security prevalence was analyzed using ANOVA by sampling method to assess statistically significant differences. Results: Respondents (n = 27,168) indicate higher prevalence of food insecurity (low or very low food security) since the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with before the pandemic. In nearly all study sites, there is a higher prevalence of food insecurity among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), households with children, and those with job disruptions. The findings demonstrate lingering food insecurity, with high prevalence over time in sites with repeat cross-sectional surveys. There are no statistically significant differences between convenience and representative surveys, but a statistically higher prevalence of food insecurity among high-risk compared with convenience surveys. Conclusions: This comprehensive study demonstrates a higher prevalence of food insecurity in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. These impacts were prevalent for certain demographic groups, and most pronounced for surveys targeting high-risk populations. Results especially document the continued high levels of food insecurity, as well as the variability in estimates due to the survey implementation method.
• Josephson, A., & Ricker-Gilbert, J. (2020). Preferences and crop choice during Zimbabwe’s macroeconomic crisis. African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 15(3).
  More info

  Smallholder farmers face considerable risk and uncertainty, particularly when markets are incomplete or missing. We consider household crop diversity and crop choice in Zimbabwe, where output markets are largely absent and price signals are inaccurate. In this setting, considering preferences and tastes provides a deeper understanding of how households ensure food security in environments without robust markets. We use data that straddles the period of hyperinflation in Zimbabwe and the collapse of the country’s currency to study household cropping behaviour in a time of extreme stress. This allows us to better understand the relationship between market failure and crop choice in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Josephson, A., & Smale, M. (2020). What Do you Mean by “Informed Consent”? Ethics in Economic Development Research†. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 43(4), 1305-1329. doi:10.1002/aepp.13112
  More info

  The ethical conduct of research requires the informed consent and voluntary participation of research participants. Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) work to ensure that these ethical standards are met. However, incongruities in perspective and practice exist across regions. In this article, we focus on informed consent as practiced by agricultural and applied economists, with emphasis on research conducted in low income and/or developing countries. IRB regulations are clear but heterogeneous, emphasizing process rather than outcome. The lack of IRBs and institutional reviews in some contexts and the particulars of the principles employed in others may fail to adequately protect research participants.
• Dizon, F. J., Josephson, A., & Raju, D. (2019). The Nutrition Sensitivity of Food and Agriculture in South Asia. Research Papers in Economics, 1-37. doi:10.1596/1813-9450-8766
  More info

  Through a review of the literature, this paper examines the links of food and agriculture with nutrition in South Asia, a region characterized by a high level of malnutrition. The review finds that the level and stability of food prices play a critical part in food consumption, with rising prices affecting poor households the most. Although public food transfer programs are aimed at addressing this, most are too small to have a marked effect in protecting or promoting nutrition. Several supply-side food and agricultural interventions suggest promise in improving nutrition, although their effects have yet to be well identified. These include the cultivation of home gardens, animal farming, and use of biofortification and post-harvest fortification. All these efforts will be futile, however, without parallel efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change.
• Josephson, A. (2019). Failing in the Field: What We Can Learn When Field Research Goes Wrong, edited by DeanKarlan and JacobAppel. Published by Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA, 2018, 146 pages, ISBN 9780691183138.: Book Review. Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 63(3), 674-676. doi:10.1111/1467-8489.12324
• Slade, P., Michler, J. D., & Josephson, A. (2019). Foreign Geographical Indications, Consumer Preferences, and the Domestic Market for Cheese. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 41(3), 370-390. doi:10.1093/aepp/ppz010
  More info

  The protection of geographical indications (GIs) is an important feature of modern trade agreements. In the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), Canada agreed to stronger protections for GIs of European cheeses and other food products. Under this agreement, new Canadian producers can no longer label cheese as “feta” but instead must refer to it as “imitation feta,” “feta style,” or “feta type.” We use a choice experiment to determine the effect of this agreement on Canadian cheese producers. We find that the effect of GI recognition varies depending on the terms used to label Canadian cheese and the information given to consumers. The results imply that policies that give greater latitude to food marketers will weaken the impact of GI recognition.
• Josephson, A. L., & Michler, J. D. (2018). Beasts in the Field? Ethics in Agricultural and Applied Economics. Food Policy, 79, 1-11.
  More info

  Ongoing changes to research practices and recent media attention to agricultural and applied economics have raised new ethical problems, but also created opportunities for new solutions. In this paper, we discuss ethical issues facing the profession and propose potential ways in which the field can address these issues. We divide our discussion into two topics. First are ethical issues that arise during the collection, management and analysis of data. Second are ethical issues faced by researchers as they formulate, fund, and disseminate their research. We pay special attention to issues of data dredging or p-hacking and potential ethical issues arising from interaction with the media.
• Josephson, A. L., Schrank, H., & Marshall, M. I. (2017). Assessing preparedness of small businesses for hurricane disasters: Analysis of pre-disaster owner, business and location characteristics. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 23, 25-35.
  More info

  Management decisions owners make to prepare their small businesses for hurricane events are strategic decisions that can affect the sustainability of their businesses. Therefore, there is value in understanding who prepares, what they do to protect their businesses, and in predicting these decisions from known demographics such as race, gender and business size. This study characterized the owners and businesses that did or did not undertake hurricane preparations and suggests education and policy strategies to assist these business owners. Small business owners in southern Mississippi participated in telephone interviews that provided data for the logit analyses in this study. The preparedness activities most practiced were risk transfer and structural mitigation. The least practiced activities were those related to protection of business operations and non-structural assets. Whether or not the business was located in a coastal county subject to surge highly predicted the use of certain types of preparation. Results demonstrate that preparation activities varied depending on the situation of the business (e.g. size, prior experience with disasters, property ownership) and characteristics of the owner (e.g. gender and education). However, differing threats to the business related to location (e.g. surge prone or not) and factors such as mandated insurance, local zoning, and commercial versus home-based locations were important influences.
• Josephson, A., Schrank, H., & Marshall, M. (2017). Assessing preparedness of small businesses for hurricane disasters: Analysis of pre-disaster owner, business and location characteristics. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DISASTER RISK REDUCTION, 23, 25-35.
• Michler, J. D., & Josephson, A. L. (2017). To Specialize or Diversify: Agricultural Diversity and Poverty Dynamics in Ethiopia. WORLD DEVELOPMENT, 89, 214-226.
• Josephson, A. L., & Marshall, M. I. (2016). The Demand for Post‐Katrina Disaster Aid: SBA Disaster Loans and Small Businesses in Mississippi. Journal of Contigencies and Crisis Management, 24(4), 264-274.
  More info

  Following Hurricane Katrina, the United States government provided billions of dollars in loans to repair the damage caused by the hurricane. However, the specifics surrounding demand for these loans and the process of application and approval for Small Business Administration (SBA) loans have yet to be fully examined. We analyse the demand of small businesses for such loans and delve into the factors which are associated with success in obtaining loan funds following disaster. Results indicate several factors are important in all of the stages of the loan process: the income of the business, whether the business had insurance or received money in an insurance claim and the gender of the business owner.
• Josephson, A. L., Ricker-Gilbert, J., & Florax, R. (2014). How does population density influence agricultural intensification and productivity? Evidence from Ethiopia. FOOD POLICY, 48, 142-152.

Proceedings Publications

• Josephson, A. L., & Marshall, M. I. (2014, Summer). The Effectiveness of Post-Katrina Disaster Aid: The Influence of SBA Loans on Small Businesses in Mississippi. In International Institute for Infrastructure and Reconstruction.
  More info

  Following Hurricane Katrina, the United States government provided $45 billion in loans and rebuilding funds to individuals and businesses for the purpose of repairing the damage caused by the hurricane. However, it is not yet clear what impact this assistance had on small businesses in affected areas. In particular, the role of Small Business Administration (SBA) loans has yet to be fully examined. Though few doubt the benefits of short-term and immediate disaster relief, there is some debate on the benefits of SBA loans. Evidence suggests that receiving business loans may do more harm than good if the loan ultimately increases debt load. In this study we contribute to the disaster relief literature through completing the first analysis regarding the receipt of SBA loans after Hurricane Katrina. We find that there are several characteristics which increase the probability of application for a loan, but there is a set of different characteristics which determine the amount ultimately received. Further, results indicate that targeting programs for certain groups were unsuccessful in directing loans to these groups.

Presentations

• Josephson, A. L., Smale, M., Michler, J. D., & Masters, W. (2019, January). Ethics in Agricultural and Applied Economics. Allied Social Science Annual Meeting. Atlanta, GA: American Economic Association.
• Josephson, A. L. (2018, Summer). Two: 1) Organizer of Organized Session on Trade (“Foreign Geographical Indicators, Consumer Preferences, and the Domestic Market for Cheese”) 2) Elevated Paper Session: Presentation of “Share and Share Alike: Gendered Income Allocation in Malawi”. International Conference of Agricultural Economists Meeting. Vancouver, Canada: International Association of Agricultural Economists.
• Josephson, A. L., Michler, J. D., & Orr, A. (2018, August). An Industrious Revolution? Changes in the Household Economy of Rural Bangladesh. Agricultural and Applied Economic Association Annual Meeting. Washington, D.C.: Agricultural and Applied Economic Association.
• Josephson, A. L., Michler, J. D., & Orr, A. (2018, Fall). An Industrious Revolution? Changes in the Household Economy of Rural Bangladesh. International Rice Congress. Singapore: International Rice Research Institute, among others: http://ricecongress2018.irri.org/.
• Josephson, A. L., Schrank, H., & Marshall, M. (2018, Winter). Does preparation improve outcomes? Analyzing small business preparedness for Hurricane Katrina. Invited Talk. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: University of Saskatchewan.
• Josephson, A. L. (2017, March). Share and Share Alike: Gendered Income Allocation in Malawi. Center for the Study of African Economies Annual Meeting. Oxford, England: Center for the Study of African Economies.
• Josephson, A. L. (2017, Spring). Share and Share Alike: Gendered Income Allocation in Malawi. Job Market Talks. University of Arizona, University of Saskatchewan, Mississippi State University, University of Florida: Various Universities.
• Josephson, A. L., & Ricker-Gilbert, J. (2016, September). Behavioral Explanation of Crop Choice: Growing and Eating Sorghum and Maize in Zimbabwe. African Association of Agricultural Economists Meeting. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: African Association of Agricultural Economists.
• Josephson, A. L., DeBoer, L., Nelson, D., & Zissimopolous, K. (2016, Summer). Reshaped for Higher Order Learning: Student Outcomes in the Redesign of an Undergraduate Macroeconomics Course. Agricultural and Applied Economic Association Annual Meeting. Boston, MA: Agricultural and Applied Economic Association.
• Josephson, A. L., & Michler, J. D. (2015, Summer). “To Specialize or Diversify: Agricultural Diversity and Poverty Dynamics in Ethiopia. International Conference of Agricultural Economists Meeting. Milan, Italy: International Conference of Agricultural Economists.
• Josephson, A. L., & Marshall, M. I. (2014, Summer). The Effectiveness of Post-Katrina Disaster Aid: The Influence of SBA Loans on Small Businesses in Mississippi. Agricultural and Applied Economic Association Annual Meeting. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Agricultural and Applied Economic Association.
• Josephson, A. L., & Marshall, M. I. (2014, Summer). The Effectiveness of Post-Katrina Disaster Aid: The Influence of SBA Loans on Small Businesses in Mississippi. International Institute for Infrastructure Resilience and Reconstruction, Conference on RESPONSE, RESTORATION, AND RECONSTRUCTION. West Lafayette, Indiana: International Institute for Infrastructure Resilience and Reconstruction.
• Josephson, A. L., Ricker-Gilbert, J., & Florax, R. (2013, Spring). How does population density influence agricultural intensification and productivity? Evidence from Ethiopia. International Food Policy Research Institute Emerging Land Constraints Meeting. Washington D.C.: International Food Policy Research Institute.
• Josephson, A. L., Ricker-Gilbert, J., & Florax, R. (2012, Summer). “How does population density influence agricultural intensification and productivity?: Evidence from Ethiopia. Agricultural and Applied Economic Association Annual Meeting. Seattle, Washington: Agricultural and Applied Economic Association.

Poster Presentations

• Josephson, A. L., Mcclaran, M. P., Fehmi, J. S., & Githu, D. W. (2020, February). Range reseeding and pastoralists resilience to climate variability.. Society for Range Management Annual Meeting. Denver, CO: Society for Range Management.
• Josephson, A. L., DeBoer, L., Nelson, D., & Zissimopolous, K. (2017, January). Learning to Do: Facilitating Practice in a Large Introductory Macroeconomics Class. American Economic Association Meeting. Chicago, IL: American Economic Association.
• Josephson, A. L. (2013, Summer). Income Diversification: Beekeeping in Ethopia. Agricultural and Applied Economic Association Annual Meeting. Washington D.C.: Agricultural and Applied Economic Association.