As resource scarcity differentially impacts communities around the world, there is broad consensus that institutions --- rules, regulations, or norms --- play a critical role in shaping the equity outcomes of resource management policies. I utilize diverse social science theories and quantitative methods to analyze interactions among institutions, organizations, human behavior, and natural resources. Please see my CV for the updated list of my publications.
Two central aspects of my work serve as the foundation of my research program. First, I am passionate about understanding how policy and management outcomes in natural resource systems are shaped by diverse political-economic factors. I primarily examine policy outcomes in the context of water management institutions in South India and Western U.S. My research in South Indian irrigation systems examines how farmers can strategically use their physical location and irrigation technology to control water resources at the expense of low-income farming households. I combine interviews and focus group discussions with coupled human-natural model to demonstrate how institutional modifications can prevent such resource capture and achieve environmentally sustainable and equitable water allocation. I also examine policy outcomes in the context of groundwater management institutions in Nebraska’s Natural Resource Districts (NRDs), NRDs are a unique collaborative institution for the sustainable management of groundwater quantity and quality. I use text mining and institutional analysis tools to study the "rules-in-use" for NRDs. This helps us understand how groundwater management practices vary across agencies over time and their implications on groundwater regime shifts. This research will contribute to the still-limited literature on the role of collaborative institutions in groundwater management.
Relevant Publications:
A second dimension of my research examines the diverse socio-economic factors that facilitate or inhibit individuals’ adaptation to change. The ability of human societies to respond collectively to environmental and social challenges is largely determined by the ability of individuals to cope with change. My research on agricultural systems in Ghana examines how policies that facilitate the diffusion of agricultural technologies may expedite structural change and economic growth. Continuing this line of inquiry, my postdoctoral work examines the variations in the ability of individuals and social groups to adapt to ecosystem changes across working landscapes in Nebraska and Montana. I primarily utilize surveys, econometric modeling, and social network analysis to pursue this research.
Relevant Publications:
My research program focuses on finding real-world solutions to environmental, economic, and social challenges in a variety of resource domains. To address these challenges, I combine diverse methods to gather and analyze large-scale, longitudinal institutional data. A few examples of these methods are agent-based models, econometric modeling, game theoretic modeling, experiments, and text mining.
Relevant Publications:
Two central aspects of my work serve as the foundation of my research program. First, I am passionate about understanding how policy and management outcomes in natural resource systems are shaped by diverse political-economic factors. I primarily examine policy outcomes in the context of water management institutions in South India and Western U.S. My research in South Indian irrigation systems examines how farmers can strategically use their physical location and irrigation technology to control water resources at the expense of low-income farming households. I combine interviews and focus group discussions with coupled human-natural model to demonstrate how institutional modifications can prevent such resource capture and achieve environmentally sustainable and equitable water allocation. I also examine policy outcomes in the context of groundwater management institutions in Nebraska’s Natural Resource Districts (NRDs), NRDs are a unique collaborative institution for the sustainable management of groundwater quantity and quality. I use text mining and institutional analysis tools to study the "rules-in-use" for NRDs. This helps us understand how groundwater management practices vary across agencies over time and their implications on groundwater regime shifts. This research will contribute to the still-limited literature on the role of collaborative institutions in groundwater management.
Relevant Publications:
- Vallury, S., Abbott, J. K., Shin, H. C., & Anderies, J. M. (2020). Sustaining Coupled Irrigation Infrastructures: Multiple Instruments for Multiple Dilemmas. Ecological Economics, 178, 106793.
- Vallury, S. & Leonard, B. Canals, Climate, and Corruption: The Provisioning of Public Infrastructure under Uncertainty. In Review.
- Olivier, T. & Vallury, S. Incentives and Institutional Design: Collaborative Rule Design in Nebraska's Natural Resource Districts. Working Paper.
A second dimension of my research examines the diverse socio-economic factors that facilitate or inhibit individuals’ adaptation to change. The ability of human societies to respond collectively to environmental and social challenges is largely determined by the ability of individuals to cope with change. My research on agricultural systems in Ghana examines how policies that facilitate the diffusion of agricultural technologies may expedite structural change and economic growth. Continuing this line of inquiry, my postdoctoral work examines the variations in the ability of individuals and social groups to adapt to ecosystem changes across working landscapes in Nebraska and Montana. I primarily utilize surveys, econometric modeling, and social network analysis to pursue this research.
Relevant Publications:
- Mueller, V., Masias, I., & Vallury, S. (2019). Labor‐saving technologies and structural transformation in northern Ghana. Agricultural Economics, 50(5), 581-594.
- Vallury, S., Ishtiaque, A., & Yu, D. Unpacking Counter- Adaptation and Levee Effects in Flood Adaptation in South Asia. Working Paper.
- Vallury, S., Smith, A., & Chaffin, B.C. Beyond the household: A Literature Review of Scale and Aggregation in Adaptive Capacity Research. Working Paper.
- Chaffin, B.C., Vallury, S., Baird, J., & Nakhata, B. ``Deeper Water: Exploring Barriers and Opportunities for the Emergence of Adaptive Water Governance. Working Paper.
My research program focuses on finding real-world solutions to environmental, economic, and social challenges in a variety of resource domains. To address these challenges, I combine diverse methods to gather and analyze large-scale, longitudinal institutional data. A few examples of these methods are agent-based models, econometric modeling, game theoretic modeling, experiments, and text mining.
Relevant Publications:
- Baggio, J. A., Schoon, M. L., & Valury, S. (2019). Managing networked landscapes: conservation in a fragmented, regionally connected world. Regional Environmental Change, 19(8), 2551-2562.
- Vallury, S., Shin, H.C., Janssen, M.A., & Meinzen-Dick, R. Assessing the institutional prescriptions of adaptive water governance in South India. Working Paper.
- Shin, H.C., Bahambari, P.Y., Vallury, S., Park, S., & Yu, D.J. Experimental evidence on effectiveness of exit, voice, and their combination on infrastructure improvement. Working Paper.