• Awards
• Graduate Students

Nov. 3, 2017

Jonathan Malacarne is the recipient of the prestigious Provost’s Dissertation-Year Fellowship in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences for 2017-18. Originally from DuBois, Pennsylvania, Jonathan is a development economist, focusing on the ways in which risk, subjective expectations, and classical economic constraints lead households in poor and marginalized communities to under-invest in the future. His dissertation is (tentatively) titled "Locus of Control and Economic Decision Making: The Role of Perceptions of Self-Efficacy on Learning and Investment." His research focuses on the role of perceptions of self-efficacy on learning and investment in a production process, with particular application to rainfed maize agriculture in Mozambique and Tanzania. In this situation, if farmers believe that production is driven completely by the weather then it is perfectly rational for them to invest little in improved seed and fertilizer. Early results indicate that farmers who attribute more of the variation in production to their own actions have an increased likelihood of using improved seed varieties.

Steve Boucher and Michael Carter are co-chairs of Jonathan’s dissertation committee. Once his dissertation is complete, Jonathan plans to pursue a career in academia, balancing both teaching and research.

More News

• 
  ARE Distinguished Professor Richard J. Sexton and Coauthor Win EAAE Research Discovery Award
• 
  Gilliland, Sanchirico, and Taylor Win Best Article Award from Marine Resource Economics
• 
  ARE Distinguished Professor Emeritus Julian Alston Confirmed as a “Foreign Correspondent” of the Italian Academy of Vine and Wine