Energy Markets & Policy

Retail electricity markets and energy equity · 2023–present

I am a principal investigator in the Energy Markets & Policy research group, an interdisciplinary collaboration between Lehigh University and The Ohio State University, with projects funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Our research examines the economic and equity effects of retail electricity deregulation in Ohio and Pennsylvania. We combine interviews with residential consumers and analysis of their electricity bills with quantitative research on retail offers and market design. This approach connects households’ experiences of choosing a supplier to the rules and practices that structure the market.

My contribution brings an anthropological perspective to questions of energy justice, examining how consumers navigate electricity choice and how the burdens and benefits of market arrangements are distributed. The collaboration produces academic research and policy briefs intended to inform public discussion and regulatory decisions.

Visit the Energy Markets & Policy Research Group

New York City Film & Television

Economic Impact Study · Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment · 2021

As a consultant with Buro Happold, I led qualitative research for the New York City Film & Television Industry Economic Impact Study, commissioned by the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. The study examines the industry’s place in the city’s economy and the conditions that support its work.

The report connects film and television production to the wider network of businesses and workers that make it possible. It examines the industry’s economic contribution, the characteristics of its different sectors, and the challenges and opportunities facing the city as it emerged from the COVID-19 shutdown.

Using 2019 data, the study found that the industry supported approximately 185,000 jobs, $18.1 billion in wages, and $81.6 billion in total economic output. Published in 2021, it provides a basis for understanding the industry’s importance to New York City and for developing policies that support its future.

Read the Film & Television Industry Economic Impact Study (PDF)

Reimagine the Canals

Community engagement and the future of the Erie Canal · 2019

How can historic infrastructure better serve the communities around it? For New York State’s Reimagine the Canals initiative, I led the design and analysis of a community engagement process that brought nearly 400 residents and stakeholders together at five sessions across the Erie Canal corridor.

Working with the Rockefeller Institute of Government, I developed the research approach, trained discussion facilitators, and led the synthesis of participants’ written responses and facilitators’ summaries. The resulting report, coauthored with political scientists Laura Schultz and Robert Turner, identifies residents’ priorities for the canal’s future, including everyday access and recreation, environmental restoration, and stronger connections between the waterway and neighboring communities.

The project translated local knowledge into recommendations for the Reimagine the Canals Task Force, which subsequently secured $300 million from New York State for the ecological and social revitalization of the Erie Canal region.

Read the Community Engagement Report (PDF)