William Jaeger Oral History Interview, December 13, 2017

Partial Transcript: Today is December 13th, 2017.

Segment Synopsis: Date and location of interview. Introduction of Dr. William Jaeger, Professor of Applied Economics at Oregon State University. Introduction to focus of interview: research and global warming.

Keywords: Department of Applied Economics; Oregon State University

Subjects: Global warming; Oregon State University. College of Agricultural Sciences

Partial Transcript: Where were you born?

Segment Synopsis: Jaeger describes growing up in Seattle, Washington and early interests in outdoor recreation.

Keywords: Outdoor Recreation; Seattle, Washington

Subjects: Outdoor recreation; Washington (State)--Seattle

Partial Transcript: Did you have an early interest in economics?

Segment Synopsis: Jaeger discusses his academic path towards an undergraduate degree in economics at Washington State University. He was the first in his family to attend university and initially declared engineering as his degree. Jaeger describes how travelling internationally, particularly to developing countries, as an undergraduate inspired an interest in using economics to evaluate economic disparity.

Keywords: Economics; Study Abroad; Washington State University

Subjects: Economics; Foreign study; Washington State University

Partial Transcript: And did you join the Peace Corps immediately after your bachelor's or was that later?

Segment Synopsis: Jaeger describes his decision to join the Peace Corps upon completion of his bachelor's degree. He was sent to Burkina Faso and discusses his work on an agricultural cooperative.

Keywords: Agricultural Cooperative; Burkina Faso; Peace Corps

Subjects: Agriculture, Cooperative; Burkina Faso; Peace Corps (U.S.). Africa Region

Partial Transcript: And so when you came back to the states, did you have a plan at that point to return to school?

Segment Synopsis: Jaeger discusses returning to Seattle after the Peace Corps and working at Boeing while applying to graduate school. He describes his initial strategy of applying to PhD programs with the likely intention of stopping at a Master's degree, although this changed once he started a graduate program.

Keywords: Boeing

Subjects: Boeing Company

Partial Transcript: And you ended up at Stanford, is that correct?

Segment Synopsis: Jaeger describes the Food Research Institute program at Stanford University, a subset of the economics department. He discusses the cultural environment of his graduate program and his research on agricultural mechanization in Africa. His research was funded by a farming systems research project at Purdue University and enabled him to return to Africa to collect data.

Keywords: Agricultural Economics; Agricultural Mechanization in Africa; Farm Systems Research; Food Research Institute; Purdue University; Research in Africa; Stanford University

Subjects: Agricultural systems; Agriculture--Research--Economic aspects; Farm mechanization; Purdue University; Stanford University. Food Research Institute

Partial Transcript: You graduated Stanford and ended up at the World Bank, is that correct?

Segment Synopsis: Jaeger discusses researching agricultural development in Africa with the World Bank after completing his PhD. He describes the culture of the institution, including positive and negative aspects, and why he chose to return to academia.

Keywords: African Agricultural Research; World Bank

Subjects: Special Program for African Agricultural Research (World Bank); World Bank

Partial Transcript: Were you attracted to teaching within academia? Or was it more of a research draw?

Segment Synopsis: Jaeger discusses returning to academia through a two year visiting appointment with Williams College. He describes the high expectations for teaching at Williams and was initially asked to teach an environmental economics course. This helped shifted Jaeger's research focus from agricultural economics to environmental resource economics. He discusses how climate change started to become more prevalent in the field of economics at this time and its relevance to his research focus.

Keywords: Economic Aspects of Climate Change; Environmental and Resource Economics; University Teaching; Williams College

Subjects: Climatic changes--Economic aspects; College teaching; Environmental economics; Williams College

Partial Transcript: So in 2001, you came to Oregon State. Why did you decide to leave Williams and move back to the West Coast?

Segment Synopsis: Jaeger discusses the factors influencing his decision to leave Williams University and join Oregon State University. He had previous opportunities to work temporarily with universities in the Pacific Northwest and took advantage of the opportunity to work at OSU in 2001. Jaeger describes the Pacific Northwest as an ideal environment for an environmental resource economist. He also describes his affinity for the Willamette Valley.

Keywords: Oregon State University; Pacific Northwest Culture; West Coast

Subjects: Oregon State University; Pacific Northwest; United States--Pacific Coast

Partial Transcript: And when you first arrived, you were in the Agricultural and Resource Economics Department?

Segment Synopsis: Jaeger describes his initial years with the Agricultural and Resource Economics Department. He recalls the diversity of economists within the department and its early reputation, and describes how the department has since changed in size and name. Jaeger also describes moving from a small liberal arts school to a larger research university.

Keywords: Oregon State University, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics

Subjects: Oregon State University. Department of Agricultural Economics

Partial Transcript: And how has your role as a teacher changed?

Segment Synopsis: Jaeger describes his unique policy-oriented research position at Oregon State University, and how that has resulted in a reduction in teaching compared to his position at Williams College. He now teaches and engages with predominately graduate students. He describes how policy is an inherent and enjoyable aspect in applied economics.

Keywords: Applied Economics Research and Policy; Teaching at Oregon State University

Subjects: College teaching; Economic policy--Research

Partial Transcript: In 2007, you were a Fulbright Scholar, you went to Italy.

Segment Synopsis: Jaeger describes his experience teaching in Venice, Italy for a year as a Fulbright Scholar. Jaeger recalls making the decision as a family and wanting to expose his children to life in another country. He discusses his application process and previous connection to the University of Venice. Jaeger describes living in Padua and working and teaching in Venice. The experience was very positive for both him and his family.

Keywords: Fulbright Scholar; Fulbright Scholarship; Living in Italy; University of Venice, Italy; University teaching abroad; Venice, Italy

Subjects: Fulbright scholars; Fulbright scholarships; Italy--Venice; Teachers, Foreign--Employment; Università degli studi di Venezia

Partial Transcript: And you're also, it looks like you're associated with the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide?

Segment Synopsis: Jaeger discusses mission of the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW) organization, based in Eugene, Oregon. Jaeger serves on ELAW's board of directors. He describes getting involved with ELAW through his connection to Bern Johnson, Executive Director of ELAW and alumnus of Williams College.

Keywords: Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide; Eugene, Oregon; Serving on Board of Directors

Subjects: Boards of directors; Environmental law, International; Oregon--Eugene

Partial Transcript: I guess, maybe more into questions related to your research, you wrote a book "Environmental Economics for Treehuggers and Other Skeptics." Do you believe that the dialogue between economists and environmentalists has improved in recent years, and if so, how?

Segment Synopsis: Jaeger discusses how students' preconceived notions of the environment and economics at Williams College inspired his book, "Environmental Economics for Treehuggers and Other Skeptics." His attempts to get environmentalists and economists to see each others' perspectives led to writing the book. Jaeger discusses the current dialogue between the two groups, which he perceives as having improved significantly.

Keywords: Environmental Economics; Environmentalists and Economists

Subjects: Environmental economics

Partial Transcript: You kind of referenced this earlier, but I was wondering if you could talk about cap and trade policy and how that- I guess contrast it with a carbon tax system.

Segment Synopsis: Jaeger compares the economic incentive approach of a cap and trade policy to a regulatory approach of a carbon tax system. He describes how economists have historically felt that an incentives-based approach is more effective than a regulatory approach in addressing environmental problems. Jaeger discusses the relevance of politics in assessing what policy will be effective. He also discusses how current biofuels are both environmentally and economically problematic. Jaeger describes a carbon tax system on gas in more detail.

Keywords: Biofuel Economics; Cap and Trade; Carbon Tax; Economic Incentives; Regulatory Economics

Subjects: Biomass energy; Carbon taxes; Emissions trading

Partial Transcript: You've also done research on water scarcity in the Pacific Northwest. How do you think or do you think Oregonians should change their perception of future water availability?

Segment Synopsis: Jaeger points out that water availability in Oregon varies depending upon the region and that this influences perception of and future access to water. He references the Bureau of Reclamation's controversial decision to shut off Klamath Project water in 2001 and his involvement in a related court case in 2017. Jaeger describes a recent collaborative project that assessed future water scarcity in the Willamette River Basin. Water availability in the Willamette Valley will differ from that of the Cascades and Eastern Oregon given projected snow pack and climate conditions. He also discusses how water law and water rights in Oregon will influence future water claims.

Keywords: Bureau of Reclamation and Klamath Project; Cascade Mountains; Eastern Oregon; Snow Pack Levels; Water Rights; Water availability in Oregon; Water scarcity in Oregon; Willamette River Basin

Subjects: Klamath Project (U.S.); North America--Cascade Range; Oregon, Eastern; Oregon--Willamette River Valley; Water rights; Water-supply

Partial Transcript: Taking a step back, given your involvement in policy, how do you view Oregon's response to climate change, say in comparison to the federal government?

Segment Synopsis: Jaeger discusses how West Coast states are moving forward with climate change legislation, despite the Trump administration pulling out of the Paris Accord. He also discusses the progression of the court case (Juliana vs United States) in which students have sued the federal government for actions that have knowingly caused climate change and as a result will inhibit their constitutional rights.

Keywords: Federal Climate Lawsuit; Juliana vs United States; Paris Accord; West Coast climate change policy

Subjects: United States--Pacific Coast; United States. District Court (Oregon)

Partial Transcript: I'll transition to my last- final set of questions on climate change. What were your earliest conversations on climate change like and how have they shifted over time?

Segment Synopsis: Jaeger discusses broader aspects of climate change with respect to communication, collaboration, policy, and education. He describes the shortcomings of early economic analysis of climate change in the 1990's and how prevalent climate change is in current environmental economic analysis. Jaeger discusses the collaborative nature of climate change research at OSU, particularly facilitated by the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute, and in the Pacific Northwest in general. In terms of research funding cuts to climate change, Jaeger refers to his future research plans and how the uncertainty of funding affects federal agencies and the dissemination of knowledge. When it comes to future climate change policies, Jaeger draws on his recent research on previous climate change policy processes. He feels pessimistic based on his research and foresees litigation approaches at potentially more effective methods for changing policy. In terms of public education, Jaeger reflects on how cultural attitudes about the environment have improved through his lifetime, and the effectiveness of connecting children and adults to the environment through direct experiences. When discussing hope about the future of the planet with respect to climate change, Jaeger conveys mixed feelings about current methods for reducing carbon emissions in the near future.

Keywords: Climate Change Research; Economics of Climate Change; Global Warming

Subjects: Climatic changes--Research; Environmental policy--Economic aspects; Global warming