Dan LaFave
Dan is an Associate Professor of Economics and Faculty Affiliate of the East Asian Studies and Global Studies programs at Colby College. His research focuses on the interplay of health, human capital, and labor markets in developing settings. Dan works closely with undergraduate researchers and teaches courses in econometrics, development economics, health economics, and microeconomics. He holds a B.A. in International Studies from Boston College and a Ph.D. in Economics from Duke University.
Working & Submitted Papers
Farm Profits, Prices and Household Behavior
with Evan Peet and Duncan Thomas
Measuring the Mechanisms of Informal Family Insurance: Time and monetary support in response to poor health
with Michael Dalton
Stability and Evolution of Preferences for New Technology
with Sahan Dissanayake, George Voigt (Colby ’17), Abebe Beyene, Randall Bluffstone, Zenebe Gebreegziabher,
Alemu Mekonnen, Abbie Cooper (Colby ’17), and Michael Toman
Improved Biomass Cookstove Use in the Longer Run
with Alemu Mekonnen, Abebe Beyene, Randall Bluffstone, Sahan Dissanayake, Zenebe Gebreegziabher, and Michael Toman
Extreme Weather Impacts Risk Tolerance and Time Discounting
with Paula Jaramillo (Colby ’20) and Lindsey Novak
Publications
Impacts of Improved Biomass Cookstoves on Child and Adult Health: Evidence from Rural Ethiopia
with Abebe Beyene, Randy Bluffstone, Sahan Dissanayake, Zenebe Gebreegziabher, and Alemu Mekonnen
World Development, 2021, 140.
– Featured in Colby Magazine
Farms, Families, and Markets: New Evidence on Completeness of Markets in Agricultural Settings
with Duncan Thomas
Econometrica, 2016, 85 (4).
Extended Families and Child Well-being
with Duncan Thomas
Journal of Development Economics, 2017, 126.
Mitigating the Consequences of a Health Condition: The Role of Intra- and Interhousehold Assistance
with Michael Dalton
Journal of Health Economics, 2017, 53.
Height and Cognition at Work: Labor Market Productivity in a Low Income Setting
with Duncan Thomas
Economics and Human Biology, 2017, 25.
Family Support and Elderly Well-being in China: Evidence from CHARLS
Ageing International, 2017, 42 (2).
Race and Retention in a Competitive Labor Market
with Randy Nelson and Michael Doherty (Colby ’12)
Journal of Sports Economics, 2018, 19 (3).
Cannabis Control and Crime: Medicinal Use, Depenalization, and the War on Drugs
with Arthur Huber (Colby ’13) and Rebecca Newman (Colby ’13)
B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy, 2016, 16 (4).
The Economic Impact of Shale Gas Development
with Brendan Cosgrove (Colby ’14), Sahan Dissanayake, and Michael Donihue
Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, 2015, 44 (2)
On the Role of Social Comparisons in Shaping Migrants’ Remittance Behavior: Theory, and Evidence from China
with Oded Stark
in Robert M. Sauer (ed.), World Scientific Handbook of Global Migration Vol. 2, 2021