Michael Cary

Research Assistant Professor | Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Virginia Tech | macary@vt.edu

Education

  • Ph.D. Natural Resource Economics - West Virginia University (2023)
  • M.A. Economics - Virginia State University (2014)
  • B.A. History - Virginia Commonwealth University (2011)

    • Research Interests

  • International Climate Policy
  • Photovoltaics and Agrivoltaics
  • Sustainable Transportation Systems & Road Networks
  • Land Use Policy
  • Sustainable and Just Development
  • Environmental Economics
  • Network Theory & Graph Theory

    • Welcome

    Welcome to my professional website! I am a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech. My research focuses are primarily in the area of environmental economics and sustainability, primarily studying the environmental and economic consequences of climate policy, though my research also spans topics ranging from renewable energy (PV/APV), sustainable transportation systems with an emphasis on road network structure, gender and race, and even network/graph theory. For more on this, please check out my Research page or my CV.
    My job market paper, Road Network Structure and Air Pollution: Moving Beyond the Fundamental Law of Road Congestion, asks if the structure of road networks affects pollution outcomes. To do this, I develop a theoretical framework of pollution stocks and flows which includes an effect of road network topology on vehicular emissions. Using a Hausman-Taylor IV model, I ultimately find that better connected road networks (fewer bottlenecks) lead to lower levels of pollution via reduced congestion, and that more circuitous road networks also lead to lower levels of pollution via an increased opportunity cost of driving. I then confirm these mechanisms are indeed responsible for the observed effects by regressing measures of congestion and commute times against the meaures of road network structure.