Justin Johnson, Visiting Instructor of Economics
Ph.D. Canditate, Applied Economics, University of Minnesota
B.A. Economics, St. Olaf College, '05
Office: Holland Hall 435
Phone: 507-786-3155
E-mail: johnsja@stolaf.edu
Office Hours: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 12:00-2:00pm
or by appointment
Teaching in Economics: Justin A Johnson is an economist at St. Olaf College and the University of Minnesota where he focuses on teaching Principles of Economics and researching the effects of climate change on economic growth.
Justin’s dissertation research involves constructing a dynamic general equilibrium model with sector-specific climate change damage functions. We know climate change will have an impact on many economic sectors, such as agriculture, through changes in the average and variance of temperature and precipitation, but how this will affect the growth of a specific economy depends on the risk profile of the region as well as the dynamic linkages of agriculture to land markets and other parts of the economy. The basic policy-relevant answer that arises from Justin’s research is that the details matter; we must know the specifics of the country’s biophysical and geophysical attributes, and thereby the country’s climate change vulnerability, as well as the country’s dynamic growth mechanisms to understand the full impact of climate change.
It is Justin’s hope that his research will inform climate change negotiations, mitigation and adaptation policies and the general approach we take to planning for a more volatile physical world.
In his spare time, Justin is an avid mountain biker and rock climber. He also spends time writing about the economics of online video games. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and enjoys traveling in Southeast Asia.
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