​Research Statement

Download my research statement here. 
​
​My research fields include: 
  • Environmental and Natural Resource Economics 
  • Agricultural and Rural Development Economics 
  • Sustainable and Climate-resilient Development 
  • Human Capital and Household Economics 
  • International Environmental Negotiations

​Research Appointments

  • 2015– Post-doc Research Officer, GRI and CCCEP, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK
  • 2007–  External Research Fellow, South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM), Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • 2010–15 Graduate Research Assistant, U of Wyoming, USA
  • 2009–10  Graduate Research Assistant, Carleton University, Canada
  • 2005–10  Lecturer of Economics, University of Dhaka
  • 2005 Research Associate, ActionAid Bangladesh

Job Market Paper
​
​Adaptation to Natural Disasters through the Agricultural Land Rental Market: Evidence from Bangladesh 
[Current Draft]           [GRI WP236]       
[ASSA/AEA Coverage]      [World Bank Coverage]         [EconThatMatters] 

Abstract: 
We examine the effects of natural disaster exposure on agricultural households who simultaneously make rent-in and rent-out decisions in the land rental market. Our econometric approach accounts for the effects of disaster exposure both on extensive margin, i.e. adjustments in the quantity of operated land, and intensive margin, i.e. agricultural yield conditional on the land quantity adjustment,  based on selectivity-corrected samples of rental market participants. Employing a household survey dataset from Bangladesh, we find that farmers were able to lower their losses from exposure to disasters by optimizing their operational farm size through participation in the land rental market.  These results are robust to alternative specifications. This suggests that the land rental market may be an effective instrument reducing disaster risk, and post-disaster policies should take into account this role more systematically.
(JEL Q24, Q54, D13, D64, Q15).

Research Outputs

Publications

  1. Shaikh M.S.U. Eskander, Edward B. Barbier, Tenure Security, Human Capital and Soil Conservation in an Overlapping Generation Rural Economy, Ecological Economics, Volume 135, May 2017, Pages 176-185. 
  2. Eskander, S., E. Barbier, and B. Gilbert. 2018. Fishing and Non-Fishing Income Decisions: The Role of Human Capital and Family Structure. Land Economics, volume 94, issue 1, February 2018. [In-press version]
  3. Eskander, S., S. Fankhauser, and S. Jha. 2017. Do Natural Disasters Change Savings and Employment Choices? Evidence from Bangladesh. Invited by the Asian Development Review. 
  4. ​Crick, F., S. Eskander, S., Fankhauser, and M. Diop. 2017. How do African SMEs respond to climate risks? Evidence from Kenya and Senegal. Revised & Resubmitted at World Development

Working Papers

  1. Eskander, S., and E. Barbier. 2017. “Legacies of Gusts and Bloods: Long-term Impacts of the Series of 1970-74 Disasters in Bangladesh” Under review [Coverages: 2017 AEA/ASSA; 2017 AERE Meetings]
  2. Crick, F., S. Eskander, S., Fankhauser, and M. Diop. 2017. How do African SMEs respond to climate risks? Evidence from Kenya and Senegal. Grantham Research Institute WP Series 284, London School of Economics. R&R at World Development
  3. Eskander, S., S. Fankhauser, S. Jha, S. Batool, and A. Qaisrani. 2017. Do Natural Disasters Change Savings and Employment Choices? Evidence from Pakistan. Grantham Research Institute WP Series 293, London School of Economics. Under review
  4. Eskander, S., T. Janus, and E. Barbier. 2016. Linking the unlinked: Trans-boundary water-sharing under water-for-leverage negotiations
  5. Eskander, S., and S. Shaffer. 2015. Impacts of Advertising Restrictions on Cigarette Market: Evidence from US CDC Data
  6. Eskander, S., N. Ushakova, S. Khadka, S. Choudhury and J. Shogren. 2012. Are multilateral agreements more efficient than bilateral? Evidence from experimental data
  7. Eskander, S., and E. Barbier. 2012. Altruism, subsistence consumption and economic growth

Book Chapters and Permanent Working Papers

  1. Eskander, S., S. Fankhauser, and S. Jha. 2016. Do Natural Disasters Change Savings and Employment Choices? Evidence from Bangladesh and Pakistan. Economics Working Paper Series 505, Asian Development Bank, December 2016
  2. Eskander, S. 2011. A Policy Scan of ODA in the Education Sector: Bangladesh, in MLA Khan et al (eds.) “ODA for Education in Asia and the Pacific”, Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education, 43-66
  3. Ellis, K., R. Singh, S. Eskander, and I. Huq. 2010. Assessing the Economic Impact of Competition: Findings from Bangladesh, Overseas Development Institute (ODI)
  4. Eskander, S., and D. Akter. 2005. Gender Parity (Non)-achievement in Education MDG: Bangladesh Update, Education Theme, ActionAid Bangladesh
  5. Eskander, S., and H. Bekkers. 2008. Poverty-profiling of Some Selected Rural and Urban Areas of Bangladesh, Working Paper 1, Poverty Study Series, SwissContact-Katalyst
  6. Eskander, S., M. Tanvir and H.A. Farooque. 2008. Aid Effectiveness in Bangladesh Education Sector: A Case Study of PEDP-II, ActionAid Bangladesh
  7. Eskander, S. 2007. Do Wage Bill Caps Prevent the Hiring of Teachers? ActionAid International ​

Ongoing Projects

  1. Short- and long-term welfare effects of climate change induced tenure insecurity and conservation investment in Tanzania
  2. Firm-level Savings-behavior and Disaster. With Sam Fankhauser
  3. The Role Micro-credit on Disaster Adaptation. With E. Barbier  
  4. Climate Shocks and Crop Choice: Evidence from Tanzania. With Stefania Lovo and Ara Jo
  5. Trade Openness and Cropping Intensity: Evidence from Bangladesh
  6. Endogenous Receipts, and Reciprocity and Religiosity in Giving