SHAIKH ESKANDER

Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment (GRI)

London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Tower 3, Clements Inn Passage
London WC2A 2AZ, UK

E-mail: S.M.Eskander@lse.ac.uk
Website: ShaikhEskander.weebly.com
Cell:
+44(0)78 5600 3276
Fax:
+44(0)20 7242 0392

CURRENT AFFILIATIONS AND APPOINTMENTS

2015present
Research Officer (Post-doc)
Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment (GRI) and Centre for Climate
Change Economics and Policy (CCCEP)
London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK
2015present

(External) Research Fellow

South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM), Dhaka, Bangladesh

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Adaptation to climate change and climatic extremes, Natural Resource and Environmental Economics, agricultural
and rural development Economics, Human Capital and Household Economics
TEACHING INTERESTS
Econometrics, Environmental and Resource Economics, Agricultural Economics, Development Economics,
Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Public Policy
EDUCATION
2015

Ph.D.

Economics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA

Dissertation: Essays on Natural Resource, Environment and Development Economics
Supervisor: Dr. Edward B. Barbier
Committee Members: Ben Gilbert, Thorsten Janus, Ben Rashford and Sasha Skiba

2010

M.A.

Economics, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

2004

M.S.S. Economics, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh (First Class)

2003

B.S.S.

Economics, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh (First Class, with Honors)

PAST AFFILIATIONS AND APPOINTMENTS

20072015
Associated Researcher, South Asian Network on Economic Modeling, Dhaka, Bangladesh
20102015

Graduate Assistant, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA

20092010

Graduate Assistant, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

20052010

Lecturer in Economics, Institute of Health Economics, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh

2006-2009

Research Associate, Bureau of Economic Research, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh

2005

Research Associate, ActionAid Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh

JOB MARKET PAPERS

Long-term Impacts of the Series of 1970-74 Disasters in Bangladesh
Adaptation to Natural Disasters through the Agricultural Land Rental Market: Evidence from Bangladesh
PUBLICATIONS
Peer-reviewed articles (including R&R) and working papers
Eskander, S. and E. Barbier. 2016. Tenure Security and Soil Conservation in an Overlapping Generation Rural
Economy. Revise & Resubmit at Ecological Economics
Eskander, S., E. Barbier, and B. Gilbert. 2016. Fishing and Non-Fishing Income Decisions: The Role of Human
Capital and Family Structure. Revise & Resubmit at Land Economics
Eskander, S. and E. Barbier. 2016. Agricultural Adaptation to Natural Disasters through the Land Rental Market:
Evidence from Bangladesh. Grantham Research Institute WP No. 236, London School of Economics.
- Listed as a featured 2016 AERE conference paper by EconThatMatters
- Invited to write a short blog post about this paper by LSE Business Review (July 2016)
Policy research papers (other publications)
Eskander, S. 2011. A Policy Scan of ODA in the Education Sector: Bangladesh, in MLA Khan et al (eds.) ODA for
Education in Asia and the Pacific, Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education, pp.43-66.
Ellis, K., R. Singh, S. Eskander, and I. Huq. 2010. Assessing the Economic Impact of Competition: Findings from
Bangladesh, Overseas Development Institute (ODI).
Eskander, S. and D. Akhter. 2005. Gender Parity (Non)-achievement in Education MDG: Bangladesh Update,
Education Theme, ActionAid Bangladesh.

Shaikh Eskander

WORKING PAPERS
Under review working papers
Eskander, S. and E. Barbier. 2016. Long-term Impacts of the Series of 1970-74 Disasters in Bangladesh. Under
review
Eskander, S. and E. Barbier. 2016. Agricultural Adaptation to Natural Disasters through the Land Rental Market:
Evidence from Bangladesh. Under review
Commissioned working papers
Eskander, S., S. Fankhauser, and S. Jha. 2016. Do Natural Disasters Change Savings and Employment Choices?
Evidence from Bangladesh and Pakistan. Commissioned by Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Under preparation working papers
Eskander, S., T. Janus, and E. Barbier. 2016. Linking the unlinked: Trans-boundary water-sharing under water-forleverage negotiations
Eskander, S. and S. Shaffer. 2015. Impacts of Advertising Restrictions on Cigarette Market
Eskander, S., N. Ushakova, S. Khadka, S. Choudhury and J. Shogren (2012), Are multilateral agreements more
efficient than bilateral? Evidence from experimental data
On-going projects
The Role Micro-credit on Disaster Adaptation. With E. Barbier
Climate Shocks and Crop Choice: Evidence from Tanzania. With Stefania Lovo and Ara Jo
Trade Openness and Cropping Intensity: Evidence from Bangladesh
Endogenous Receipts, and Reciprocity and Religiosity in Giving
POLICY ADVISING AND CONSULTANCY REPORTS
Eskander, S. and H. Bekkers. 2008. Poverty-profiling of Some Selected Rural and Urban Areas of Bangladesh,
Working Paper 1, Poverty Study Series, SwissContact-Katalyst.
Eskander, S., M. Tanvir and H.A. Farooque. 2008. Aid Effectiveness in Bangladesh Education Sector: A Case Study
of PEDP-II, ActionAid Bangladesh.
Eskander, S. 2007. Do Wage Bill Caps Prevent the Hiring of Teachers? ActionAid International and ActionAid
Bangladesh.
EXTERNAL GRANTS AND CONTRACTS
2016 Jun-Sep. Asian Development Bank (ADB). Do Natural Disasters Change Savings and Employment Choices?
Evidence from Bangladesh and Pakistan. Commissioned by ADB as a background paper for ADOU 2016.
$12,000.
2014 Jun-Aug. Assisted Edward Barbier. Challenges to Ecosystem Service Valuation for Wealth Accounting,
Chapter for 2014 Inclusive Wealth Report, UNU International Human Dimensions Programme on Global
Environmental Change (IHDP) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Bonn, Germany.
2011 Jun-Jul. SwissContact-Katalyst, Bangladesh. Development of an empirical framework for monitoring
employment-effects within selected Katalyst Sectors, $12,500.
2009 May-Jun. Overseas Development Institute (ODI), UK. Bangladesh Country Study of Competition Policy
Measuring the Economic Benefits of Competition: An ODI Research Project Funded by DFID, 8,000.
2009 Jan. SwissContact-Katalyst, Bangladesh. Employment Creation through Agricultural Growth: Direct and Cross
Effects of Economic Growth and Consumption Patterns, $2,500.
2008 Nov. Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education (ASPBAE). A Policy scan of ODA in the
Education Sector in selected Asian countries- Bangladesh, $2,200.
2008 Aug-Sep. Bureau of Economic Research, University of Dhaka and Ministry of Commerce, Government of
Bangladesh. Feasibility study of Commodity Exchange Market in Bangladesh. With Bazlul Khondker and
Selim Raihan, partially subcontracted, $3,500.
2008 Jun. Swisscontact-Katalyst, Bangladesh. Information Asymmetry and Agricultural Supply Chain in
Bangladesh, $1,500.
2008 Jan-Jun. Bureau of Economic Research, University of Dhaka. Returns to Education in Dhaka City. $1,200.
2007 Sep-Dec. Swisscontact-Katalyst. Poverty-profiling of Some Selected Rural and Urban Areas of Bangladesh,
$4,000.
2007 Sep-Dec. ActionAid. Aid Effectiveness in Bangladesh Education Sector: Case Study of PEDP-II, $1,500.
2007 Sep-Dec. ActionAid. Significance of Skill Development for Expatriate Bangladeshi Workers, $1,800.
2007 Jan-Jun. Bureau of Economic Research, University of Dhaka. Responsiveness of Some selected groups on
HIV/AIDS. With Khandokar Istiak, $1,200.
2007 Mar. ActionAid. Do Wage Bill Caps prevent the hiring of teachers?, $800.

CV of Shaikh Eskander

TEACHING PROFILE
Teaching Appointments:
2016

Adjunct Economics Faculty, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

20142015

Instructor, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA

20102015

Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA

20092010

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

2005-10

Lecturer, Institute of Health Economics, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh

Student Advising and Mentoring

Abdullah Muyid, BSS (Hons.) in Economics, U of Dhaka [2005-06]
Current placement: MPS in Labor and Global Workers' Rights program, Pennsylvania State University
Taslima Rahman, Master in Health Economics, U of Dhaka [2006-07]
Current placement: Lecturer, Institute of Health Economics, U of Dhaka
Scheduled Teaching at the Department of Geography and the Environment, London School of Economics
2016 Fall
GY 222: Applied Environmental Economics
With Susana Mourato and Sefi Roth
GY 428: Applied Regression Analysis
With Ben Groom | Text: Introductory Econometrics by Jeffrey Woolridge
Courses Taught at the University of Wyoming
2015 Spring
ECON 4230: Intermediate Econometric Theory - Substitute Instructor (SI) for Ben Gilbert
Class size: 40 | Text: Introductory Econometrics by Jeffrey Woolridge
ECON 1020: Principles of Microeconomics - TA and SI for Felix Naschold
Class size: 130 | Text: Principles of Microeconomics by Krugman and Wells, 3rd ed.
2014 Fall

AGEC/ECON 1020: Principles of Microeconomics - Instructor of Record

Class size: 130 | Text: Principles of Microeconomics by Krugman and Wells, 3rd ed.

2014 Spring

AGEC/ECON 1020: Principles of Microeconomics - Instructor of Record

Class size: 60 | Text: Principles of Microeconomics by Krugman and Wells, 3rd ed.

2011 Spring

ECON 3010: Intermediate Macroeconomics - TA and SI for Thorsten Janus

Class size: 130 | Text: Macroeconomics by Gregory Mankiw

2010 Fall

ECON 1020: Principles of Microeconomics - TA for Chris Kennedy

Courses Teaching assisted at Carleton University (teaching assisted Professor Ana Dammert)
2010 Winter
ECON 4507: The Economics of Development
ECON 3508: Intro. to Economic Development
Undergraduate Courses Taught at the University of Dhaka (all courses taught as a lecturer of economics):1
2007-09
ECON 213/214: Applied Economics & Public Policy
Class size: 65-110 | Course design: Seminar course
2008

ECON 305: Basic Econometrics

Class size: 130 | Text: Basic Econometrics by Damodar Gujarati 4th ed.

2007-08

PGDHE 501: Principles of Microeconomics

Class size: 30 | Text: Principles of Microeconomics by Krugman and Wells

2007

ACCT 110: Principles of Economics

Class size: 110 | Text: Principles of Economics by Samuelson and Nordhaus

2005-2006

PGDHE 502: Principles of Macroeconomics

Class size: 30 | Text: Principles of Macroeconomics by Krugman and Wells

2005-2006

PGDHE 503: Mathematical Economics

Class size: 30 | Text: Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics by Alpha Chiang

Graduate Courses Taught at the University of Dhaka (all courses taught as a lecturer of economics):
2007-2009
MHE 604: Econometrics for Master of Health Economics Instructor of Record
Class size: 50-60 | Text: Basic Econometrics by Damodar Gujarati 4th ed.
2005-2006

MHE 601: Advanced Microeconomics for Master of Health Economics Instructor of Record
Class size: 50-60 | Text: Advanced Microeconomic Theory by Jehle and Reny

2006-2009

ECON 505: Advanced Econometrics

External Examiner Department of Economics | Class size: ~100
MDS: Thesis - External Thesis Examiner Master of Development Studies
Number of students examined: 2

2006-2009

ACCT= Accounting, PGDHE=Post-graduate Diploma in Health Economics.

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Shaikh Eskander

CONFERENCE AND SEMINAR PRESENTATIONS

2017 Jan. 6-9.
2017 AEA/ASSA Conference, Chicago, IL (Scheduled)
Paper: Long-term Impacts of the Series of 1970-74 Disasters in Bangladesh
2016 Jul 31Aug 2. Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Conference, Boston, MA
Paper: Agricultural Adaptation to Natural Disasters through the Land Rental Market: Evidence
from Bangladesh
2016 Jul 31Aug 2. Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) Conference, Boston, MA
Paper: Linking the unlinked: Transboundary water-sharing under water-for-leverage negotiations
2016 June 911. 5th Annual AERE Summer Conference, Breckenridge, CO (Scheduled, Sponsored Session)
Paper: Agricultural Adaptation to Natural Disasters through the Land Rental Market: Evidence
from Bangladesh
2016 June 8.

University of Wyoming College of Business, Laramie, WY

Paper: Agricultural Adaptation to Natural Disasters through the Land Rental Market: Evidence
from Bangladesh

2016 June 35.

Canadian Economic Association 50th Annual Conference, Ottawa, Canada

Paper: Agricultural Adaptation to Natural Disasters through the Land Rental Market: Evidence
from Bangladesh

2016 June 12.

4th Canadian PhD and Early Career Workshop in Environmental Economics, University of Ottawa,
Ottawa, Canada
Paper: Long-term Impacts of the Series of 1970-74 Disasters in Bangladesh

2016 Feb. 22.

Grantham Research Institute, London School of Economics

Paper: Agricultural Adaptation to Natural Disasters through the Land Rental Market: Evidence
from Bangladesh

2014 Nov. 22.

Southern Economic Association 84th Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA

Paper: Long-run Impacts of Natural and Political Disasters

2014 Oct. 31.

Brown-bag Seminar, Department of Economics, University of Wyoming.

Paper: Long-run Impacts of Natural and Political Disasters

2014 Jun. 29.

Western Economic Association International (WEAI) 89th Annual Conference, Denver, CO.
Paper: Tenure Security and Soil Conservation in an Overlapping Generation Rural Economy

2008 Nov. 9-14. Asia Pacific Regional Conference on ODA in Education, Manila, Philippines.
Paper: A Policy scan of ODA in the Education Sector in selected Asian countries- Bangladesh
2004 Feb. 2-4.

First South Asian Economics Students Meet, Ramjash College, Delhi University, India.
Paper: Industrialization in Bangladesh

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND DEVELOPMENT

Equality & Diversity course (online), London School of Economics, 2015.
Founder, Bangladesh Student Association at University of Wyoming (BSA-UW), 2014 and President 2014-15.
Conjoint and Discrete choice workshop, University of Wyoming, May-June 2014.
Member UW Cricket Club (UWCC) and UW Badminton Club, 2010-15.
AWARDS AND HONORS
2016
Sponsored Session, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (AERE), $1,325
2014-15
Conference Travel Grants, University of Wyoming, $1,000.
2014-15

International Student Scholarship, University of Wyoming, $1,500.

2010-15
2014

Graduate Assistant Fellowship, University of Wyoming.

(Nomination) James C. Hurst Teaching Excellence Award, U of Wyoming Parents and Family.

2014
2013-14

(Nomination) Job Market Paper Workshop at WEAI 89th Annual Conference.

Summer Research Grant, University of Wyoming, $4,800.

2009-10

Graduate Assistant Fellowship, Carleton University.

Languages:
Software:

Bengali (Native) and English (Full professional proficiency)

stata (competent), MSOffice (regular), LaTeX (occasional)

SKILLS

AFFILIATED GROUPS
American Agricultural Economic Association (AAEA); American Economic Association (AEA); Association of
Environmental and Resource Economists (AERE); Bangladesh Economic Association (BEA); Canadian Economic
Association (CEA); European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE); South Asian
Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE); Western Economic Association International
(WEAI)

CV of Shaikh Eskander

PERSONAL INFORMATION
Citizenship:
Bangladeshi
Personal:

Male, Married, Two Children

PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES
Giles Atkinson
Professor in Environmental Policy
London School of Economics and Political
Science (LSE)
+44(0)20 7955 6809
G.Atkinson@lse.ac.uk
Sam Fankhauser
Co-Director at the Grantham Research Institute
London School of Economics and Political
Science (LSE)
+44(0) 20 7107-5427
S.Fankhauser@lse.ac.uk
Thorsten Janus
Associate Professor of Economics
University of Wyoming
+1 (307) 766-3384
TJanus@uwyo.edu

Edward Barbier
John S. Bugas Professor of Economics
University of Wyoming
+1 (307) 766-2358
EBarbier@uwyo.edu
Benjamin Gilbert
Assistant Professor of Economics
University of Wyoming
+1 (307) 766-6315
BGilbe10@uwyo.edu
Sherrill L. Shaffer
Guthrie Distinguished Professor of Banking and
Financial Services
University of Wyoming
+1 (307) 766-2173
Shaffer@uwyo.edu

Last updated: August 8, 2016

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PAPER ABSTRACTS
Long-term Impacts of the Series of 1970-74 Disasters in Bangladesh
We use childhood exposure to disasters in Bangladesh as natural experiments inducing variations in adulthood outcomes.
Based on an overlapping generation model, we hypothesize that children from households with greater disaster-exposure will
have lower adulthood health, schooling and consumption outcomes. A unique dataset from Bangladesh identifies that children
from the 1970 cyclone and the 1974 famine regions experience significant schooling and consumption adversities, especially
among the rural, female-headed and less-educated households. Public programs benefiting the females and the poor, alongside
the development of healthcare and schooling infrastructure, can be useful protective measures against the long-term harms of a
disaster. (JEL Q54, I31)
Adaptation to Natural Disasters through the Agricultural Land Rental Market: Evidence from Bangladesh
We examine the effects of natural disaster exposure on agricultural households who simultaneously make rent-in and rent-out
decisions in the land rental market. Our econometric approach accounts for the effects of disaster exposure both on extensive
margin, i.e. adjustments in the quantity of operated land, and intensive margin, i.e. agricultural yield conditional on the land
quantity adjustment, based on selectivity-corrected samples of rental market participants. Employing a household survey
dataset from Bangladesh, we find that farmers were able to lower their losses from exposure to disasters by optimizing their
operational farm size through participation in the land rental market. These results are robust to alternative specifications. This
suggests that the land rental market may be an effective instrument reducing disaster risk, and post-disaster policies should take
into account this role more systematically. (JEL Q24, Q54, D13, D64, Q15).
Tenure Security and Soil Conservation in an Overlapping Generation Rural Economy
We develop an overlapping generation model of rural agricultural households to inform that tenure security and subsistence
needs influence the choice between unexploited topsoil and investment in childrens human capital as the mode of transfer of
wealth. A unique dataset from Bangladesh finds that tenure security is associated with greater topsoil conservation, whereas
the poor households have lower conservation and human capital investments. Therefore, enhanced tenure security may lower
the adverse consequences of poverty on soil conservation, and vice-versa. We suggest that increased public expenditure on
schooling, which substitutes private expenditure, may lower the pressure on land and soil resources. (JEL Q24, D13, D64,
Q15).
Fishing and Non-Fishing Income Decisions: The Role of Human Capital and Family Structure
Resource-dependent households often seek to diversify their income sources. The labor-leisure tradeoff in such cases has been
widely studied, often treating remittance income as exogenous. The remittances literature, on the other hand, is often focused
on the determinants of remittance supply, migration, and macroeconomic impacts. For resource-dependent households, we
model the demand for remittances and supply of non-resource wage labor as a joint decision, and delineate the income
diversification tradeoffs. We also extend the off-farm labor supply literature to the case of a rural fishery, an application that
has not received much attention in the farm vs. off-farm labor literature and yet affects household welfare on a global scale.
We then provide empirical evidence of the interdependence between educational attainment and family structure in
determining income diversification opportunities and contrast our results to common findings in the farm literature. Using a
unique survey dataset from a Malaysian fishery, we show that income diversification is non-monotonic in educational
attainment. We find that more educated households are generally less likely to diversify their income, with caveats that depend
on family composition. Educated households are only more likely to earn non-fishing wage income if they have a large number
of school-age children, and are only more likely to receive remittances if they have a large number of out-migrated family
members. Policy implications for resource management in the presence of a remittance economy and/or alternative livelihoods
are discussed. (JEL Q22, J24)
Linking the unlinked: Trans-boundary water-sharing under water-for-leverage negotiations
We develop a game-theoretic framework of negotiation over sharing of trans-boundary resources between neighboring
countries. The downstream country offers a non-water leverage good in exchange for water access and makes a take-it-orleave-it offer to the upstream country. The downstream country can further invest in water provision before the negotiations.
We compare three types of outcomes: the first-best outcomes where an ex-ante social planner choses both the water
investment and the water and leverage goods exchanged in the negotiations; the outcome when an ex-post social planner
only enters at the negotiation stage; and the outcome of bilateral negotiations. We argue that all three cases can be empirically
realistic; show that the outcome with the ex-post social planner can distort the downstream countrys investment incentive; and
that the bilateral negotiation outcome can lead to water investment either below or above the efficient/ex-ante planners
preferred choice. (JEL F53, F51, Q25, R41)
Do Natural Disasters Change Savings and Employment Choices? Evidence from Bangladesh and Pakistan
We investigate the economic response of households to natural disasters in Bangladesh and Pakistan. In particular, we explore
to what extent households respond to disasters by adjusting their savings behavior and/or changing their employment
strategies. Using two unique panel datasets we find evidence of autonomous adjustments in both countries. In Bangladesh,
disaster-affected farmers move away from agricultural employment; whereas non-farmers increase their farm labor supply.
Such structural adjustments are stronger among the storm-affected households than the flood-affected households. Pakistani
households experiencing repeated flood events move away from agricultural to non-agricultural income. Finally, disasteraffected Pakistani households exhibit a decrease in their cash savings behaviors; whereas in both the countries, farmers
increase livestock purchases. We discuss policy implications in terms of developing nonfarm employment opportunities to
reduce the future harms of disaster and financing economic migration to reduce income-vulnerability. (JEL Q24, Q54, D13,
D64, Q15)