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Elbakidze, Levan

headshot of Levan
(304) 293-5487 levan.elbakidze@mail.wvu.edu 4202 Agricultural Sciences

Program Coordinator of Natural Resources Economics, PhD 
Professor of Resource Economics and Management

Dr. Levan Elbakidze is a professor in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and a faculty research associate at the Regional Research Institute and at the Center for Innovation in Gas Research and Utilization at WVU. He earned his BS and MS from the University of Nevada, Reno, and PhD from Texas A&M University.  

Dr. Elbakidze’s research program primarily revolves around natural resource economics including water resource economics, management of invasive species, pests and infectious animal diseases, and energy. He is also interested in applications of experimental economics and in interdisciplinary modeling of systems involving interdependent human and biophysical components. He has received research grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Geologic Survey and the Nature Conservancy.  His work has been published in Risk Analysis, Water Resources Research, Resource and Energy Economics, Ecological Economics, Agricultural Economics, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management and other peer reviewed journals.

Publications

  1. Khurana, R. L. Elbakidze, X. Etienne, Institutional Integrity and Carbon Emissions, Applied Economics, Accepted
  2. Lee, Young*, Horeh, M.*, and L. Elbakidze (2025) “Economic Evaluation of Lettuce Traceability Systems in Mitigating Foodborne Illness Risks” Food Policy, 132, (102855), (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2025.102855).
  3. Xu, Y., L. Elbakidze, P. W. Gassman, H. Yen, Y. Ma, J. Hubbard, J. Arnold, (2025) “US–China agricultural trade and environmental outcomes: The case of nutrient runoff to the Gulf of Mexico,” Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 1:20, (https://doi.org/10.1002/aepp.13501).
  4. Mugabe, D.*, L. Elbakidze, and G. Zaynutdinova (2025) “Real options investments: Lessons from the US shale gas industry,” Financial Review, 1:28, (https://doi.org/10.1111/fire.12428).
  5. Ul Aziz*, M. and L. Elbakidze (2025) “Invisible Barrier: The Impact of Air Quality on Chronic School Absenteeism in the US," Environmental and Resource Economics, 88(3):655-680, (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10640-024-00943-1).
  6. Akinyemi, T.*,  L. Elbakidze, Xu, Y., P. Gassman, J. Arnold, H. Yen (2024) “Cross-Watershed Leakage and Agricultural Nutrient Runoff Reduction”, Environmental Research Letters, 19(7), (https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ad4e4a/meta).
  7. Wang J, S. Yu, L. Elbakidze, Y. Xin, S. Song, Y. Ma, (2024) “US-China trade friction and agricultural nitrogen loss in China: a price endogenous partial equilibrium analysis” Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 106, (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2024.107507).
  8. Khanal, N. B.* and L. Elbakidze (2024)“Peril in the Pipeline: Unraveling the Threads of PFAS Contamination in U.S. Drinking Water Systems,” PLOS One, April:1-22. (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0299789).
  9. Tavarez, H.*, O. Abelleira, L. Elbakidze, (2024) "Environmental awareness and willingness to pay for biodiversity improvement in Puerto Rico”, Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 14:154-166. (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13412-023-00869-y).
  10. Tavárez, H.* and L. Elbakidze, (2023) “Willingness to pay for ancillary water service improvements in Puerto Rico”, Water Economics and Policy, 2250010 (https://doi.org/10.1142/S2382624X23500108). Water Economics and Policy Editor’s Choice for 2023, https://www.worldscientific.com/page/wep/web-editors-choice 
  11. Elbakidze, L., (2023) Book Review of Shortle, J., Ollikainen, M, and Iho, A., “Water Quality and Agriculture: Economics and Policy for Nonpoint Source Water Pollution” Water Economics and Policy, 9(3) (https://doi.org/10.1142/S2382624X23800048).
  12. Horeh, M*., L. Elbakidze, and G. Taylor (2023) “Contaminated Water and the Food Safety Modernization Act", Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, 52(3):623-653 (https://doi.org/10.1017/age.2023.22).
  13. Anica, S*. and L. Elbakidze, (2023) “Financial assistance and environmental compliance: evidence from the Clean Water Act," Land Economics 99(2):222-244 (https://doi.org/10.3368/le.061121-0060R1). 
  14. Xu, Y., L. Elbakidze, X. Etienne (2023) “Unconventional oil and gas development and agricultural land-use in the United States" Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 48(2):219-236 (https://jareonline.org/issue_archives/2023/volume-48-issue-2-may-2023/).
  15. Horeh*, M., L. Elbakidze, A.C. Sant’Anna (2023) “Food-borne illness and product liability in the US” Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, 52(1):1-42 (https://www.doi.org/10.1017/age.2022.25).
  16. Du, X., L. Elbakidze, L. Lu*, R. G. Taylor (2022) “Climate smart pest management” Sustainability, 14(16), 19832 (https://doi.org/10.3390/su14169832).
  17. Cohen, J. J., Elbakidze, L., & Jackson, R. (2022). “Interstate protectionism: the case of solar renewable energy credits.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 104(2), 717-738. (https://doi.org/10.1111/ajae.12248). 
  18. Xu, Y., L. Elbakidze, P. Gassman, J. Arnold, J. Hubbart, H. Yen, M. Strager, (2022) “Integrated assessment of nitrogen runoff to the Gulf of Mexico” Resource and Energy Economics, 67:1-17 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reseneeco.2021.101279). 
  19. Tavárez, H.*, L. Elbakidze, O. J. Abelleira-Martínez, Z. Ramos-Bendaña, N. A. Bosque-Pérez, (2022). “Willingness to pay for gray and green interventions to augment water supply: a case study in Rural Costa Rica.” Environmental Management, 69(4):636-651 (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00267-021-01476-9).
  20. Elbakidze, L. and Q. Beeson* (2021). “State regulatory heterogeneity and compliance with the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water Acts”. Water Resources Research, 57:1-13, e2020WR028952. (https://doi.org/10.1029/2020WR028952). Featured on AGU Science News Editor Highlight (2% chance), “New Standards Spur Water Utilities to Improve Compliance” by Jim Hall (editor, WRR), available online https://eos.org/editor-highlights/new-standards-spur-water-utilities-to-improve-compliance 
  21. Tavarez, H.*, L. Elbakidze, (2021) “Urban forest valuation and environmental disposition: The case of Puerto Rico” Forest Policy and Economics, 131:1-8, (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2021.102572).
  22. Mugabe, D.* L. Elbakidze, T. Carr, (2021) “All the DUCs in a row: natural gas production in the US” Energy Journal, 42(3):113-132, (https://doi.org/10.5547/01956574.42.3.dmug).
  23. Khurana, R.* L. Elbakidze, J. Hall, (2021) “The political economy of solar initiatives in the sunshine state” Applied Economics Letters, 28(9):717-720, (https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2020.1771269). 
  24. Cohen, J. L. Elbakidze, R. Jackson (2020) “Solar bait: How U.S. states attract solar investments from large corporations” Energy Journal, 41(2):167-190, (https://doi.org/10.5547/01956574.41.2.jcoh).
  25. Mugabe*, D. L. Elbakidze, and G. Zaynutdinova (2020) “Elasticity of substitution and technical efficiency: evidence from the US electricity generation,” Applied Economics, 52(16):1789-1805, (https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2019.1678733).
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