Nathan Jensen

Email Address ndj6@cornell.edu
Campus Address 340J Warren Hall
Personal Page https://sites.google.com/a/cornell.edu/nathan-jensen/

Nathan Jensen received his PhD in Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University, where he is now a postdoc. His dissertation research focused on the quality, uptake and impacts of an innovative index based livestock insurance product (IBLI) offered to pastoralists in northern Kenya. His current research continues to focus on pastoral populations and tools for risk management, but has now broadened to also include the use of mobile technology to crowdsource vital local information, push and pull factors of livelihood transitions, and more general questions about technology adoption.

Before coming to Cornell, Nathan spent two years in Mali as a Peace Corps Volunteer (‘05-’07) and two years at the University of Missouri pursuing his Masters in Agricultural and Applied Economics (’08-’10). He has also spent time as a vegetable farmer, forest fire fighter, estate caretaker and day laborer. He enjoys spending time outside doing just about anything with his family.


Publications:

  1. Jensen, Nathan and Corinne Valdivia. 2013. “Explorando la relación entre las estrategias de vida y la resiliencia social y ecológica en el Altiplano de Bolivia.” In Jiménez, Elizabeth Zamora (editor). 2013. Cambio climático y adaptación en el Altiplano boliviano. Plural editors, La Paz, Bolivia.

Working Papers:

  1. Jensen, Nathaniel, Christopher Barrett and Andrew Mude. 2014. Basis Risk and the Welfare Gains from Index Insurance: Evidence from Northern Kenya.
  2. Jensen, Nathaniel, Andrew Mude and Christopher Barrett. 2014. How Basis Risk and Spatiotemporal Adverse Selection Influence Demand for Index Insurance: Evidence from Northern Kenya.
  3. Jensen, Nathaniel, Andrew Mude and Christopher Barrett. 2014. Index Insurance and Cash Transfers: A Comparative Analysis from Northern Kenya.
  4. Bliss, Jessica, Nathaniel Jensen, Brian Thiede, Jeremy Shoham, Carmel Dolan, Victoria Sibson, and Bridget Fenn. 2013. The risk of acute malnutrition among children aged 6-36 months in households targeted by an emergency cash transfer program.
  5. Hurst, Matthew, Nathan Jensen, Sarah Pedersen, Asha Shemra, and Jennifer Zambriski. 2012. Changing Climate Adaptation Strategies of Boran Pastoralists in Southern Ethiopia. CGAIR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security, Working Paper No. 15.

Recent Presentations:

  1. Index Insurance and Cash Transfers: A Comparative Analysis from Northern Kenya. 2014. Annual AAEA meetings, Minneapolis, MN.
  2. Index Based Livestock Insurance for Pastoralists. 2013. Food Systems and Poverty Reduction Symposium, Cornell University.
  3. Basis Risk and Demand for Index-Based Livestock Insurance: Evidence from Northern Kenya. 2013. I4 Technical Committee Meeting, University of California Davis.
  4. Climate Change and Index Based Livestock Insurance in Borana, Ethiopia. 2013. I4 Technical Committee Meeting, University of California Davis.

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Nathan Jensen