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Collins, Alan

Interim Director
Professor of Resource Economics and Management

Dr. Collins is Professor, Graduate Coordinator, and Interim Director in the Division of Resource Economics and Management. He teaches graduate and undergraduate classes in environmental and natural resource economics plus advises approximately 25 undergraduate students. Over his career, he has mentored 12 Ph.D. students and 11 M.S. students by serving as their major professor. His research interests include economic and policy issues related to: watershed management; water quality; energy; performance-based incentives, agricultural land valuation, and solid plus agricultural waste management. 

In 2018, Collins was recognized by the Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association by being named an ARER Fellow. 

He has received research grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Geological Survey, Mid-Atlantic Regional Water Program, Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the Tennessee Valley Authority. His 87 publications include papers in Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Ecological Economics, Energy Policy, Journal of Environmental Management, Journal of Spatial Analysis and Policy, Review of Agricultural Economics, Land Economics , Risk Analysis, and Water Resources Research. He holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from Oregon State University and a M.S. in Range Resource Economics from Utah State University, and a B.S. in Agriculture from University of Arizona.

Select Publications

  1. Arbab, N., J.F Conley, and A. R. Collins. 2016. “Projections of Watershed Pollutant Loads Using a Spatially Explicit, Agent-Based Land Use Conversion Model: A Case Study of Berkeley County, West Virginia.” Journal of Spatial Analysis and Policy. DOI 10.1007/s12061-016-9197-z.
  2. Collins, A.R. and K. Nkansah. 2015. “Divided Rights, Expanded Conflict: Split Estate Impacts on Surface Owner Perceptions of Shale Gas Drilling.’ Land Economics. 91(4): 688-703.
  3. Collins, A.R., E. Hansen, and M. Hendryx. 2012. “Wind versus Coal: Comparing the Local Economic Impacts of Energy Resource Development in Appalachia.” Energy Policy 50:551-661.
  4. Catma, S. and A. R. Collins. 2011. “Phosphorus Imbalances in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed: Can Forest Land and Manure Processing Facilities be the answers? Agricultural and Resource Economics Review 40(1): 116-132.
  5. Collins, A.R. and P. Maille. 2011. “Group Theory and Behavior under Performance-Based Water Quality Incentives.” Ecological Economics 70(4):806-812.
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