O'Neill School at IUPUI
801 W. Michigan Street
BS 4068
Indianapolis, IN
46202
Biography
Dr. Nathan J. Cook is an assistant professor in the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IU Indianapolis. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Colorado, where he later completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Institute of Behavioral Science. His research spans the fields of public policy analysis, environmental policy, and international development. His primary research investigates issues of inequality and inequity in the context of environmental governance, conservation policy, and climate change adaptation in the Global South. His work uses a variety of approaches, including econometric modeling, behavioral experiments, and quasi-experimental methods.
Education
- Ph.D., Political Science, University of Colorado, 2019
- M.A., Political Science, University of Colorado, 2015
- B.S., Biology/Chemistry, Metropolitan State University of Denver, 2013
Professional Experience
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute of Behavioral Science, 2019-2020
Highlights
- Co-Principal Investigator, “Equitable Pathways to Climate-Smart Agriculture: Rethinking Adaptation as a Continuum,” National Science Foundation (award #BCS-2343136)
- Principal Investigator, "Inequality, Participation, and the Design of Local Development Projects: Experimental Evidence," National Science Foundation (award # SES-2242507)
Selected Intellectual Contributions
- “Experimental Evidence on Minority Participation and the Design of Community-Based Natural Resource Management Programs,” Ecological Economics (2024)
- “Conservation Payments and Perceptions of Equity: Experimental Evidence from Indonesia, Peru, and Tanzania,” (with T. Grillos, and K. P. Andersson) Current Research in Environmental Sustainability (2023)
- “Promoting Women’s Leadership Under Environmental Decentralization: The Roles of Domestic Policy, Foreign Aid, and Population Change,” (with G. Gorti, M. Benedum, and S. Thapa) Environmental Science & Policy (2023)
- “Can Restoration of the Commons Reduce Rural Vulnerability? A Quasi-Experimental Comparison of COVID-19 Livelihood-Based Coping Strategies Among Rural Households in Three Indian States,” (with K. A. Hughes, P. Priyadarshini, H. Sharma, S. Lissah, T. Chorran, R. Meinzen-Dick, A. Dogra, and K. P. Andersson) International Journal of the Commons (2022)
- “Gender Quotas Increase the Equality and Effectiveness of Climate Policy,” (with T. Grillos, and K. P. Andersson) Nature Climate Change (2019)