Home People Research Videos Awards News
DEEP-GREEN-RADAR
Dynamics, Economics, Econometrics, Policy, and Games:
Rigorous Environmental, Energy, Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Development Analysis and Research

Cornell University




Our Research

We use cutting-edge methods and ideas in economics, econometrics, dynamic optimization, and game theory to rigorously analyze and address important issues facing individuals, households, firms, society, governments, countries, and the world. These frontier methods include dynamic structural econometric models, structural econometric models of dynamic games, dynamic programming, and optimal control theory.

In our research, we combine economic theory (including dynamic optimization and game theory) with statistical models to develop and estimate frontier structural econometric models of decision-making behavior. We use our structural econometric models to analyze how different institutions and policies affect this behavior and its outcome, and to design institutions and policies so that the decision-making behavior and outcome that are realized increase net benefits to society.

Our research is computationally intensive, analytically rigorous, and intellectually sophisticated. We work on projects that are technically sound, innovative, challenging, and that are of interest to academics, business practitioners, and policy-makers alike. We tackle a variety of issues, including those related to the environment, energy, natural resources, agriculture, development, and policy. We strive to understand and make a positive impact on the world.



We have developed dynamic structural econometric models to analyze and address important issues facing individuals, households, firms, society, governments, countries, and the world. These include the following:


Offshore petroleum production

  • Lin, C.-Y. Cynthia. (2013). Strategic decision-making with information and extraction externalities: A structural model of the multi-stage investment timing game in offshore petroleum production. Review of Economics and Statistics, 95 (5), 1601-1621.
    [Manuscript] [Published paper] [Appendix]


    • Groundwater management

  • Sears, Louis, C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell, and M. Todd Walter. (2024). Groundwater under open access: A structural model of the dynamic common pool extraction game. Working paper, Cornell University.
    [Working paper]

  • Sears, Louis, C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell, Gerald Torres, and M. Todd Walter. (2024). Moment-based Markov equilibrium estimation of high-dimension dynamic games: An application to groundwater management in California. Working paper, Cornell University.
    [Working paper]

  • Sears, Louis, C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell, Gerald Torres, and M. Todd Walter. (2024). Adjudicated groundwater property rights: A structural model of the dynamic game among groundwater users in California. Working paper, Cornell University.
    [Working paper]


    • Government subsidies

  • Yi, Fujin, C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell, and Karen E. Thome. (2024). A dynamic model of subsidies: Theory and application to the ethanol industry. Working paper, Cornell University.
    [Working paper]


    • Migration decisions

  • Rojas Valdés, Rubén Irvin, C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell, and J. Edward Taylor. (2024). Migration dynamics, strategy, and policy. Working paper, Cornell University.
    [Working paper]


    • Crop disease control

  • Carroll, Christine L., Colin A. Carter, Rachael E. Goodhue, and C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell. (2024). The economics of decision-making for crop disease control. Working paper, Cornell University.
    [Working paper]


    • World petroleum market

  • Kheiravar, Khaled H., C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell, and Amy Myers Jaffe. (2024). The world oil market and OPEC: A structural econometric model. Working paper, Cornell University.
    [Working paper]

  • Kheiravar, Khaled H., and C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell. (2020). Econometric modeling of the world oil market as a dynamic game. In Stéphane Goutte and Duc Khuong Nguyen (Eds.), Handbook of Energy Finance: Theories, Practices and Simulations (pp. 35-46). World Scientific Publishing.
    [Manuscript] [Publication]


    • Wind industry

  • Cook, Jonathan A., and C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell. (2020). Wind turbine shutdowns and upgrades in Denmark: Timing decisions and the impact of government policy. Energy Journal, 41 (3), 81-118.
    [Manuscript] [Published paper]


    • Health in developing countries

  • Ma, Xiaochen, C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell, Scott Rozelle, and Sean Sylvia. (2024). Peer effects, take-up, and usage of subsidized goods: A structural model of the multi-stage dynamic game. Working paper, Cornell University.
    [Working paper]


    • Agricultural productivity

  • Carroll, Christine L., Colin A. Carter, Rachael E. Goodhue, and C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell. (2019). Crop disease and agricultural productivity: Evidence from a dynamic structural model of Verticillium wilt management. In Wolfram Schlenker (Ed.), Agricultural Productivity and Producer Behavior (pp. 217-249). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
    [Manuscript (most recent)] [NBER working paper (June 2017)] [Publication]


    • Climate change policy

  • Zakerinia, Saleh, and C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell. (2024). Climate change policy: Dynamics, strategy, and the Kyoto Protocol. Working paper, Cornell University.
    [Working paper]


    • Pest management

  • Meneses, Michael A., Miguel I. Gómez, David R. Just, Ravi Kanbur, David R. Lee, and C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell. (2024). Organic farming, soil health, and farmer perceptions: A dynamic structural econometric model. Working paper, Cornell University.
    [Working paper]

  • Yeh, D. Adeline, Miguel I. Gómez, and C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell. (2024). Sustainable pest management, beliefs, and behavior: A dynamic bioeconomic analysis. Working paper, Cornell University.
    [Working paper]

  • Sambucci, Olena, C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell, and Travis J. Lybbert. (2024). Pesticide spraying and disease forecasts: A dynamic structural econometric model of grape growers in California. Working paper, Cornell University.
    [Working paper]


    • Ethanol industry

  • Yi, Fujin, C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell, and Karen E. Thome. (2024). A dynamic model of subsidies: Theory and application to the ethanol industry. Working paper, Cornell University.
    [Working paper]

  • Thome, Karen E., and C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell. (2024). Ethanol plant investment and government policy: A dynamic structural econometric model. Working paper, Cornell University.
    [Working paper]

  • Yi, Fujin, and C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell. (2024). What factors affect the decision to invest in a fuel ethanol plant?: A structural model of the ethanol investment timing game. Working paper, Cornell University.
    [Working paper]

  • Yi, Fujin, and C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell. (2024). Ethanol plant investment in Canada: A structural model. Working paper, Cornell University.
    [Working paper]

  • Lin Lawell, C.-Y. Cynthia. (2017). Dynamic structural econometric modeling of the ethanol industry. In Alberto Adrego Pinto and David Zilberman (Eds.), Modelling, Dynamics, Optimization and Bioeconomics II (pp. 293-306). Springer Proceedings in Mathematics & Statistics.
    [Manuscript] [Publication]


    • Forest management

  • Wu, Tong, David R. Just, C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell, Ariel Ortiz-Bobea, and Jiancheng Zhao. (2024). Optimal forest management for interdependent products: A nested stochastic dynamic bioeconomic model and application to bamboo. Working paper, Cornell University.
    [Working paper]


    • Supply chain externalities

  • Carroll, Christine L., Colin A. Carter, Rachael E. Goodhue, and C.-Y. Cynthia Lin Lawell. (2024). Supply chain externalities and agricultural disease. Working paper, Cornell University.
    [Working paper]