Matthew Berman
Professor of Economics
Ph.D., Economics, Yale University, 1977 .
MA, M. Phil.,
Economics, Yale University, 1974 . BA, Economics, Harvard College, 1972
Phone: (907) 786-5426Fax: (907) 786-7739
E-Mail: matthew.berman@uaa.alaska.edu
Map to my office
I have been researching social science and public policy issues at the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) since 1981. I fist came to Alaska in 1978 as a Rockefeller Foundation post-doctoral fellow. ISER is part of the College of Business and Public Policy at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), where I have a joint appointment in the Department of Economics. For the 2006-2007 academic year, I was visiting at the Fisheries Centre at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. My primary areas of interests include economic organization and non-market valuation. Research interests include:
- Sustainable Communities: institutions and uncertainty, rural mixed economies
- Natural Resources: social-ecological systems, spatial ecosystem services, political economy and institutions
- Health and Safety: alcohol policy, aviation safety
I teach economics and interdisciplinary social science courses at UAA. Recent courses taught include industrial organization and public policy, comparative economic systems, petroleum economics and cost-benefit analysis. I also participate in a wide variety of professional service projects in the community. I previously served as president of the Alaska Chapter of the International Association for Energy Economics. When not in the office I am often found hiking or skiing in the backcountry near my home, or perhaps playing the violin.
Courses
Short Résumé
Professor of Economics
Institute of Social and Economic Research
University of Alaska Anchorage
3211 Providence Drive
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
Previous Positions
- Associate Professor, ISER, 1986-1998
- Assistant Professor, ISER, 1981-1986
- Assistant Professor, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin, 1977-1981
- Rockefeller Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Environmental Affairs, 1978-1979
Research project websites
- Sustainability of Arctic Communities
- Migration in the Arctic
- Heterogeneity and Resilience of Human-Rangifer Systems
Programs
- Alaska EPSCoR
- BOREAS
- Rapid Change, Vulnerability and Adaptation (ICARP II Working Group 10)
- Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH)
Current Funded Research
BOREAS. Understanding Migration in the Circumpolar North. Funding agencies: National Science Foundation and European Science Foundation.
Resilience of Human-Rangifer System. The study provided a comprehensive syntheses of heterogeneity in resilience of Human-Rangifer Systems, predicting means of accommodating changes in drivers and enhancing resilience of HR systems in the circumpolar North. Funding agencies: University of Alaska Fairbanks, National Science Foundation.
Comparison of Natural Gas Pricing Proposals. ISER researchers will compare the seasonal tier pricing percent increases in the ConocoPhillips and Marathon Oil Company contracts to the actual percent increases in the indexes proposed in the contracts for reasonableness. Funding agency: State of Alaska Regulatory Commission of Alaska.