Department of Economics, University of Otago

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Paul Thorsnes

Paul Thorsnes BA (PLU), MS, PhD (Oregon)

Paul’s research interests are primarily in the areas of urban/regional and environmental economics and policy. Recent research includes estimates of the effect on housing prices of environmental amenities, such as proximity to natural areas and the clean-up of industrial sites, and analyses of mechanisms with which to allocate resources to the production of urban amenities. Paul’s teaching interests are in microeconomics, urban/regional economics, and environmental economics. He has taught previously at the University of Oregon and Grand Valley State University in Michigan.

Contact Details

Office CO731
Tel 64 3 479 8359
Fax 64 3 479 8174
Email pthorsnes@business.otago.ac.nz

Current Teaching

Selected Publications

The Transportation/Land Use Connection (with Terry Moore and Bruce Appleyard), Chicago: American Planning Association, 2007.

"Tiebout dynamics: Neighbourhood response to a central-city/suburban house-price differential" (with John Reifel), Journal of Regional Science, Vol. 46(4), 2007.

"Housing renovations and the quantile repeat sales price index" (with Daniel P. McMillen), Real Estate Economics, Vol. 34(4), 2006.

"The aroma of Tacoma: Time varying average derivatives and the effect of a superfund site on house prices" (with Daniel P. McMillen), Journal of Business and Economics Statistics, Vol. 21(2), 2003.

"The value of a suburban forest reserve: estimates from sales of vacant residential building lots," Land Economics, Vol. 78(3), 2002.

"Internalizing neighbourhood externalities: The effect of subdivision size and zoning on residential lot prices," Journal of Urban Economics, Vol. 48(3), 2000.

"Letting the market preserve land: The case for a market-driven transfer of development rights program" (with Gerald P.W. Simons), Contemporary Economic Policy, Vol. 17(2), 1999.

"Land value and parcel size: A semiparametric analysis" (with Daniel P. McMillen), The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Vol. 17(3), 1998.

"Consistent estimates of the elasticity of substitution between land and non-land inputs in the production of housing," Journal of Urban Economics, Vol. 42(1), 1997.