Yusuke Kuwayama
Fellow and VALUABLES Consortium Director
Yusuke Kuwayama is a fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF) and an assistant professor in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Kuwayama’s research focuses on the economics of water resource management and the societal value of Earth science information.
Kuwayama strives to conduct economic analysis that leads to effective and efficient policy solutions for three major problems related to water quality and scarcity: inefficient water use in the agricultural sector; tradeoffs across economic and ecosystem uses of water; and wastewater management. The methods and techniques he uses to address these issues vary depending on the specific research question, but usually consist of dynamic optimization, applied econometrics, and policy analysis.
Kuwayama is also the Director of the Consortium for the Valuation of Applications Benefits Linked with Earth Science (VALUABLES), a cooperative agreement between RFF and NASA to carry out research, outreach, and communications activities relating to the societal value of information derived from Earth observations.
Kuwayama’s research is often interdisciplinary in nature, involving collaboration with hydrologists, ecologists, and engineers. He has been PI or co-PI on grants supported by a variety of funders including NASA, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. His work has been published in outlets such as the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Land Economics, Environmental and Resource Economics, the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Regional Environmental Change, and Hydrogeology Journal.
Education
- PhD in agricultural and applied economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2011
- MS in economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006
- AB in economics, Amherst College, 2004
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Explainer — Oct 21, 2021
Value of Science 109: The VALUABLES Impact Assessment Framework, Step 3: Identifying How Decisions Influence Outcomes for People and the Environment
In the third step of the VALUABLES Impact Assessment Framework, we explore the impact of decisionmaking processes on people and the environment.
Explainer — Sep 23, 2021
Value of Science 108: The VALUABLES Impact Assessment Framework, Step 2: Identifying How New Information Influences Decisions
In the second step of the VALUABLES impact assessment framework, we examine how differences in information may influence decisionmakers' actions.
Explainer — Aug 26, 2021
Value of Science 107: The VALUABLES Impact Assessment Framework, Step 1: Identifying Improved Information and Its Alternatives
Identifying the decisionmaker, context, and alternative sources of information are all part of a crucial first step in an effective impact assessment.
Explainer — Jul 22, 2021
Value of Science 106: The VALUABLES Impact Assessment Framework
Value of Science 106: The VALUABLES Impact Assessment Framework
Journal Article — Jul 10, 2018
Estimating the Impact of Drought on Agriculture Using the U.S. Drought Monitor
Estimating the Impact of Drought on Agriculture Using the U.S. Drought Monitor
Journal Article — Jun 1, 2018
Socio-environmental consideration of phosphorus flows in the urban sanitation chain of contrasting cities
Socio-environmental consideration of phosphorus flows in the urban sanitation chain of contrasting cities
Journal Article — Nov 29, 2017
The Value of Remotely Sensed Information: The Case of a GRACE-Enhanced Drought Severity Index
The Value of Remotely Sensed Information: The Case of a GRACE-Enhanced Drought Severity Index
Explainer — Oct 21, 2021
Value of Science 109: The VALUABLES Impact Assessment Framework, Step 3: Identifying How Decisions Influence Outcomes for People and the Environment
In the third step of the VALUABLES Impact Assessment Framework, we explore the impact of decisionmaking processes on people and the environment.
Workshops — Dec 17, 2021
VALUABLES Community of Practice Meeting
A presentation of research projects quantifying the benefits of using satellite data in socioeconomic decisionmaking.
Workshops — Oct 30, 2019
2019 VALUABLES Consortium Annual Workshop
2019 VALUABLES Consortium Annual Workshop
Speeches & Presentations — Dec 10, 2018
2018 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting
2018 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting
Webinar — Sep 4, 2018
Measuring and Assessing the Socioeconomic Value of Earth Science Data
Measuring and Assessing the Socioeconomic Value of Earth Science Data
Press Release — Jul 11, 2019
Satellite Imagery Saves Federal Agencies up to $7.7 Million per Year in Post-Wildfire Costs
A new VALUABLES study finds that using the Landsat satellite program is the most cost-effective method to assess burned land and prioritize responses.
Media Highlight — Apr 5, 2012
Getting to Market: Detours on the Road to Oil Abundance
Getting to Market: Detours on the Road to Oil Abundance
Common Resources — Jun 26, 2020
Quantifying the Socioeconomic Benefits of Using Satellite Data to Detect Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms
Satellite data can keep lake goers safe from harmful algal blooms—and offer broad socioeconomic benefits through decreased healthcare costs.
Resources Magazine — Mar 18, 2020
Satellite Data Can Inform Water Policy
Earth scientists and water managers can use satellite data to maintain water quality and availability.
Common Resources — Aug 26, 2019
Are Exemptions from Environmental Regulation Good or Bad?
This blog reviews how exempting certain polluters from environmental regulations can affect society.
Resources Magazine — Mar 13, 2019
The Economic Impacts of Drought on US Agriculture
New research examines how drought affects crop yields in the United States, deepening our understanding of the economic impacts of a costly natural disaster that is projected to become more severe in the face of climate change.