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Jim Booker is an economist who has worked for three decades on the management and sustainability of water use. His teaching at Siena College has included most areas of the undergraduate curriculum. His work elsewhere includes research and teaching at major institutions across the western U.S. (Washington State University, University of Colorado, University of Wyoming) to economic development in Laos (with the International Water Management Institute). His modeling of the hydrology, law, and economics of water use in major river basins of the western U.S. has pointed to the need for intrastate, interstate, and international flexibility to reasonably address growing water demands. Dr. Booker also assists stakeholders as a consultant in hydropower project relicensing. His review article in Natural Resources Modeling covers advances over the past 25 years in the economics and modeling of water resources and policies.

Degree Program University
Ph.D. Agricultural and Resource Economics Colorado State University
M.S. Applied Physics Cornell University
B.A. Physics Dartmouth College

My Siena Experience

My Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy has always been simple: ask big questions, but bring specific knowledge and approaches in attempting to make progress. My goal is to inspire and enable the student to critically examine the insights gained from these specifics. I know I've succeeded when all the reading, and spreadsheets, mathematics and analysis all come together in discussions on the biggest issues of the day.

What I Love About Siena

In the classroom at Siena I can love nurturing, guiding, and challenging my students as they grow into young professionals ready to go out and take on the world. With small classes and plenty of opportunities out of the classroom to get to know Siena students as individuals, I'm rewarded by seeing all the academic and personal growth which occurs over each student's undergraduate years.

My Favorite Courses to Teach

Environmental Economics -- what's not to like in teaching my specialty to students in majoring Economics and Environmental Studies? It's such a rich area for exploring our relationships to each other and the physical world around us that I can't help but enjoy exploring what sustainability is all about. Principles of Economics, Macro. Working with first year students is often the best -- it's great to open eyes to the forces and choices leading to our own lifestyles, and to those both more and less fortunate than ourselves.

My Professional Experience

Year Title Organization
2005 - Now Professor of Economics Siena College
2004 - 2005 Director of Environmental Studies Program Siena College
2002 - 2004 Douglas T. Hickey Professor of Business Siena College
2002 - 2005 Associate Professor of Economics Siena College
2000 - 2001 Visiting Fellow in Resource Economics University of Colorado
1999 - 2002 Associate Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies Alfred University
1993 - 1999 Assistant Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies Alfred University
1991 - 1993 Visiting Assistant Professor of Resource Economics University of Wyoming
1990 - 1991 Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics Kalamazoo College
1984 - 1986 Research Scientist Spire Corporation
1982 - 1984 Instructor in Math, Physics, Engineering Western Wyoming Community College

Current Research

I am an applied economist with a focus on water resources and regional economic analysis. Recent publications include Can Reservoir Storage Be Uneconomically Large? (with John O'Neill in the Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management)and Economic Impacts of Alternative Policy Responses to Prolonged and Severe Drought in the Rio Grande Basin (with F. Ward, and A.M. Michelsen in Water Resources research). I am a former President of the of the New York State Economics Association.

Articles & Book Reviews

  • Implications of Water Scarcity for Water Productivity and Farm Labor
    Water
    2020
  • Reconciling Alternative Approaches to Measuring Efficiency and Productivity
    Academy of Business Research Fall 2016 International Conference Proceedings
    November, 2016
  • Water Productivity in Agriculture: Looking for Water in the Agricultural Productivity and Efficiency Literature
    Water Economics and Policy, vol. 02
    September, 2016
  • Economics and the Modeling of Water Resources and Policies
    Natural Resource Modeling Journal, vol. 25
    February, 2012
  • Water Sustainability in India
    North American Case Research Association
    October, 2011
  • Economic Impacts of Instream Flow Protection for the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow in the Rio Grande Basin
    Reviews in Fisheries Science, vol. 14
    January, 2006
  • Can Reservoirs Be Uneconomically Large?
    Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
    2006
  • Economic Impacts of Alternative Policy Responses to Prolonged and Sever Drough in the Rio Grande Basin
    Water Resources Research, vol. 41
    February, 2005
  • Institutional Innovations for Coping with Severe and Sustained Drought in an International Basin
    World Water and Environmental Resources Congress
    July, 2004
  • Economic Costs and Benefits of Instream Flow Protection for Endangered Species in an International River Basin
    Journal of the American Water Resources Association, vol. 39
    April, 2003
  • Integrating Professional and Curriculum Development Through Classroom Based Research
    Annual Teaching Economics Conference
    February, 2003
  • Transboundary Instream Flows: Perspectives from an International River Basin
    Transboundary Water Management, Joint UCOWR, EWRI, NGWA, COE-IWR Conference
    July, 2002
  • Foregone Benefits in Supplying Water for Endangered Species Recovery
    Universities Council on Water Resources and American Water Resources Association Joint Meeting
    June, 2001
  • Colorado River Water Use and Climate: Model and Application
    Journal of the American Water Resources Association
    Summer, 2022
  • Estimating Natural Resource and Energy Flows from New York State Economic Activity
    New York Economic Review, vol. 42
    Fall, 2011
  • Integrated Economic, Hydrologic and Institutional Analysis of Policy Responses to Mitigate Drought Impacts in the Rio Grande Basin
    Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, vol. 132
    Winter, 2006
  • Water Crisis in India
    Case Research Journal, vol. 34
    Summer, 2014

Awards & Distinctions

  •  Faculty mentor for winning student Julie Sullivan '14.
    Category: Teaching
    New York State Economics Association, 2014
  • Siena College School of Business Service Award
    Category: Service-University
    Siena College, 2014
  • Best Paper Award, Economics Track (advisor)
    Category: Other
    Siena College Student Conference in Business, 2008
  • Best Paper Award, Economics Track (advisor)
    Category: Other
    Siena College Student Conference in Business, 2007
  • Siena College School of Business Research Excellence Award
    Category: Research
    Siena College School of Business Research Excellence Award, 2007
  • Alfred University
    Category: Teaching
    Omicron Delta Kappa Faculty Leadership Award, 1999
  • Alfred University
    Category: Teaching
    The Ruth Berger Rubenstein Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching, 1999

Books & Book Chapters

  • Water and Climate Change
    Elsevier
    2022
  • Understanding Place: GIS and Mapping across the Curriculum
    ESRI Press
    2007

Presentations

  • Agriculture and Irrigation Productivity Estimates: Implications for Household Income Amid Growing Water Scarcity
    July, 2019
    Western Economics Association International, San Francisco, California
  • Implications of Growing Water Scarcity: Productivity and Farm Labor
    2019
    New York State Economics Association Annual Conference, Rochester, New York
  • When to teach market power in a principles course? Beginning, End, Everywhere?
    October, 2018
    EconED, Nashville, Tennessee
  • Demand Characteristics and Future Use of Colorado River Basin Streamflows
    November, 2017
    American Water Resources Association Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon
  • Single Factor Productivity Theory and Policy
    October, 2016
    New York State Economics Association Annual Conference, Farmingdale, New York
  • Economics of Agricultural Water Productivity: An Application in the Blue Nile Basin
    July, 2016
    iEMSS Conference 2016, Toulouse, France
  • Water Resources and Economics: Applications from Far to Near
    2016
    Seminar in Environmental Science and Regional Planning, Richland, Washington
  • How to Assess Agricultural Water Productivity? Looking for Water in the Agricultural Productivity and Efficiency Literature
    2014
    International Water and Resource Economics Consortium 11th Conference, Washington, District of Columbia
  • Insights from Hydroeconomic Modeling
    2014
    World Bank International Workshop, Going Beyond Agricultural Water Productivity, Washington, District of Columbia
  • Panel Discussion on Going Forward: Conceptual and Data Issues
    2014
    World Bank International Workshop, Going Beyond Agricultural Water Productivity, Washington, District of Columbia
  • Public Perceptions of Shale Gas Development in New York State: The Role of Media
    2014
    New York State Economics Association Annual Conference, Loudonville, New York
  • Reservoir Storage and Climate Change: Model and Application
    June, 2011
    International Water and Resource Economics Consortium 9th Conference, Calgary, Canada
  • Advances in Hydroeconomic Modeling
    2011
    MAA-AMS Joint Mathematics Meetings, Boston, Massachusetts
  • Quantifying Impacts in a Problem Based Service Learning Environment
    June, 2010
    Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon
  • Drought and Climate: Impacts on Sustainable Water Use in a Regulated River Basin
    2009
    Siena College Physics Department Brown Bag series, Loudonville, New York
  • Incorporating Project Based Service Learning into the Public Finance Course
    2009
    New York State Economics Association Annual Conference, Ithaca, New York
  • Water Storage and Expectations: the Case of the Colorado River Basin
    June, 2008
    Western Agricultural Economics Association, Big Sky, Montana
  • Climate Change and Colorado River Basin Reservior Storage
    June, 2007
    The United States Society for Ecological Economics Conference, New York City, New York
  • Cultural Centers and the Location of New Single-Family Residences
    April, 2007
    Northeast Recreation Research Symposium, Bolton Landing, New York
  • Hurricane Katrina and Siena College
    November, 2005
    Conference of the Environmental Consortium of Hudson River Colleges and Universities, Troy, New York
  • Optimal Reservoir Storage and Climate Change
    July, 2005
    Universities Council on Water Resources Conference and National Institutes for Water Resources Joint Conference, Portland, Maine
  • Reservoir Sizing to Optimize Economic Utility
    July, 2005
    Universities Council on Water Resources Conference and National Institutes for Water Resources Joint Conference, Portland, Maine
  • Interstate Marketing and Similar Approaches
    June, 2005
    Natural Resources Law Center Conference, Boulder, Colorado
  • Estimating Regional Energy and Natural Resource Flows
    August, 2004
    American Agricultural Economics Association, Denver, Colorado
  • Economic Impacts of Alternative Policy Responses to Prolonged and Severe Drought in the Upper Rio Grande Basin
    July, 2004
    Universities Council on Water Resources Conference and National Institutes for Water Resources Joint Conference, Portland, Oregon
  • Water Demand, Risk, and Optimal Reservoir Storage
    July, 2004
    Universities Council on Water Resources Conference and National Institutes for Water Resources Joint Conference, Portland, Oregon
  • Cost-Effectiveness Analysis and a Border Region: A Critical Analysis
    June, 2004
    International Society for Ecological Economics, Montreal, Canada
  • Addressing Bottlenecks in a Transboundary River Basin: Institutions and the Rio Grande
    November, 2001
    American Water Resources Association, Albuquerque, New Mexico