The BBER strengthens its research capabilities through collaborations with individuals who are extremely knowledgeable in their respective fields. Throughout its more than sixty-year history, the BBER at UMD’s Labovitz School of Business and Economics (LSBE) has strived to provide quality research. In growing our research capacity, the BBER has historically collaborated with LSBE faculty to provide analysis on a wide range of topics relevant to the region, state of Minnesota, and beyond.
To recognize these important faculty partnerships, the BBER is honoring them with a Faculty Research Affiliate designation.
The BBER and LSBE faculty have always had a symbiotic relationship. For the BBER, faculty provide insight into a wider range of research fields. Additionally, our faculty partners benefit from research opportunities attained through BBER projects.
With this designation, we recognize community-engaged research among LSBE faculty and aim to encourage more research partnerships between faculty, the BBER, and the community. We are proud to announce our first cohort of faculty affiliates.
Kim Nichols Dauner, associate professor of Health Care and co-director of the Health Care Management Program, earned her Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health. Her research interests include evaluation of community and workplace wellness programs, health care access and the impact of health care policy, social capital and social determinants of health. She has partnered with the BBER on The Assessment of Age-Friendly Workplaces.
Lacey Loomer, assistant professor of Health Care Management, earned her Ph.D. from Brown University in Health Services Research with a concentration in Health Economics. Her research interests include long-term care, services and supports; rural health; and Medicare payment policy. She has partnered with the BBER on The Assessment of Age-Friendly Workplaces in Duluth.
Chris McIntosh, associate professor of Economics, earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wyoming. His research interests are experimental economics along with industrial organization, environmental and natural resource economics. He has partnered with the BBER on Investigating the Potential for Distributed Solar Energy Production on Commercial Properties in the Greater Duluth, Minnesota, Area.
Neil A. Wilmot, associate professor of Economics and head of the Economics and Health Care Management department, earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wyoming. His research interests are energy economics, stochastic processes, and applied econometrics. He has partnered with the BBER on Investigating the Potential for Distributed Solar Energy Production on Commercial Properties in the Greater Duluth, Minnesota, Area.
Lin Xiu, professor of Human Resource Management, earned her Ph.D. in Industrial Relations and Human Resources from the University of Toronto. Her research interests include strategic human resource management, diversity issues in the workplace and employment relations, compensation, and negotiation. She has partnered with the BBER on The Assessment of Age-Friendly Workplaces in Duluth.
The vast knowledge obtained through these cooperative ventures have provided the region with some of our best work to date. Of these projects, two are highlighted below.
Duluth’s status as a climate-proof city, originally introduced in 2019, suggests the city may be resilient to the future impacts of climate change. With collaboration from Dr. Dauner, the BBER examined the potential social, environmental, and economic impacts of climate migration on receiving communities like Duluth through interviews with stakeholders. This research team asked stakeholders who have diverse perspectives to discuss existing community concerns and assets.
March 2020 – Valuation of Energy Efficient Investments by Duluth Landlords and Tenants
With this study, the BBER built upon its 2016 split incentive research partnership with Dr. McIntosh.
The original study, Impacts of the Split Incentive on Privately Owned Rental Housing, focused on researching the types of characteristics that would encourage participation in a program designed to address the split incentive utility issue between landlords and tenants.
The 2020 faculty-BBER partnership built on the original study by expanding its knowledge on split incentives and diving further into the impacts on student renters. Questions related to social and demographic factors that influence renter and/or landlord behaviors with split incentives were also addressed.
By establishing the Faculty Research Affiliate designation, we here at the BBER believe such recognition can grow LSBE faculty contributions, and thus, continue the growth of our high-quality research catalog.