Steven Sexton

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed a theory of conspicuous conservation, a phenomenon related to conspicuous consumption in which individuals seek status through displays of austerity amid growing concern about environmental protection, and identified a statistically and economically significant conspicuous conservation effect in vehicle purchase decisions.

TL;DR: In this article, a conceptual model and with back-of-the-envelope estimates of wealth transfers resulting from biofuel production, the authors find that ethanol subsidies pay for themselves.

TL;DR: For millennia, humans have modified plant genes in order to develop crops best suited for food, fiber, feed, and energy production as discussed by the authors, but the recombination of DNA in offspring was random and often yielded crop varieties with unforeseen and undesirable properties.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors present methodologies for assessing the productivity and health effects of pesticides and provide an overview of some of the major empirical findings, including resistance buildup, risk and environmental and human health, predator-prey relationships and dynamic considerations.

TL;DR: In this paper, the economic and environmental impacts of GM crops can now be summarized with some certainty, and the analysis indicates that, on balance, many benefits have accrued from the adoption of GM foods.