Ari M. Michelsen, Ph.D.
Research Director and Professor
Natural Resource Economics

Research Project Information
Abbreviated CV
Contact Information

Expertise

Dr. Michelsen is Research Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at El Paso, and Professor of Agricultural Economics specializing in water resources management, conservation, markets, valuation, and policy analysis. His research includes studies on the effectiveness of water conservation programs (agricultural and residential),water markets and prices, utility rate design, endangered species water acquisition programs, environmental quality regulatory impacts and decision support systems for river basin resource management and water policy analysis in the U.S., China, and Chile. Dr. Michelsen has authored or co-authored over 100 publications and technical reports and serves on the Board of Directors and is President-elect of the American Water Resources Association, Board of Directors and is former President of the Universities Council on Water Resources, Southwest Hydrology Advisory Board, Member of the New Mexico-Texas Water Commission, Paso del Norte Watershed Council Executive Committee and member of the Far West Texas Water Planning Group.

Education

Professional Experience

Research Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at El Paso, and Professor, Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University, 1999-present.

Faculty, Department of Economics, MBA, MPA and Environmental Science Programs, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA, 1994-1999.

Associate Director, Wyoming Water Resources Center, and Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 1989-94.

Senior Associate. Environment and Resource Group, RCG/Hagler, Bailly, Inc., Boulder, Colorado. 1987-89.

Vice President and Principal. Coal Network Associates, Inc., Fort Collins, Colorado. 1983-87.

Selected Publications

Robinson, John R. C., Ari M. Michelsen, and Noel R. Gollehon.  2009.  "Mitigating Water Shortages in a Multiple Risk Environment." Water Policy (forthcoming).  Accepted April 9, 2008.

Michelsen, A.M., R.L. Lacewell, J. Gilley, M. Chavez and Z. Sheng. 2008. Water Conservation in Agriculture: How Much More Can be Saved?  American Water Resources Association Annual Conference. New Orleans, LA. Nov. 17-20. Abstract. (forthcoming)

Michelsen, A.M. 2008. Economics, Public Goods, and Environmental Management Methods and Analysis Approaches. Pan American Advanced Study Institute, Sustainability Workshop, EULA, University of Concepcion, Chile. August 10-22. Invited.

Galloway, G.E. and A.M. Michelsen. 2008. "New Directions in Water Policy: Water Resources Development Act of 2007." Southwest Hydrology. May/June. 7(3):8.

Sheng, Z., Sturdivant, A., Michelsen, A. and R. Lacewell. 2008. "Rapid Economic Assessment of Flood-control Failure Along the Rio Grande: A Case Study." Book chapter in Water and Disasters, Eds. Chennat Gopalakrishnan and Norio Okada. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. Article originally published in the Journal Water Resources Development. 

Michelsen, A.M. 2008. Water Resources and Management in the Paso del Norte Region. Joint Management of Shared Resources, Groundwater Management District Association Conference. El Paso, TX, June 11-13. Invited.

Michelsen, A.M., R.L. Lacewell, J. Gilley, M. Chavez and Z. Sheng. 2008. Applicability and Effectiveness of Water Conservation Practices to Mitigate Drought Impact. Universities Council on Water Resources and National Institutes for Water Resources Annual Conference. Durham, NC. July 22-24.

Jia, S., Z. Sheng, R. Li, and A.M. Michelsen. 2008. Agricultural Water Conservation: Great Potential for Industrial Development in Northwest China. Universities Council on Water Resources and National Institutes for Water Resources Annual Conference. Durham, NC. July 22-24.

Michelsen, A.M. and Z. Sheng. 2008. Southwest Desert Floods: Agency Responses, Assessment of Flood Risks and Recommendations to Mitigate Damages and Improve Flood Management. Association of State Flood Plain Managers, 2008 Annual Conference. Reno, NV. May 18-23.

Ward, F.A., A.M. Michelsen and L DeMouche. 2007. "Barriers to Water Conservation in the Rio Grande Basin." Journal of the American Water Resources Association. 43(1):237-253.

Ward, F.A., J.F. Booker and A.M. Michelsen. 2006. "Integrated Economic, Hydrologic and Institutional Analysis of Policy Responses to Mitigate Drought Impacts in the Rio Grande Basin." Journal of Water Resources Planning and Mangement. 132(6):488-502.

F.A. Ward, J.F. Booker, and A.M Michelsen, "Economic Impacts of Policy Responses to Severe Droughts in the Rio Grande Basin (USA)," presented at the International Workshop on Hydroeconomic Modeling and Tools for Implementation of the European Water Framework Directive, January 30-31, 2006, Valencia, Spain.

Booker, J.F., A.M. Michelsen and F.A. Ward. 2005. "Economic Impact of Alternative Policy Responses to Prolonged and Severe Drought in the Rio Grande Basin." Water Resources Research. 41(WO2626):1-15.

Michelsen, A.M. and T. Brown. 2005. "Western Water Markets: Transactions, Prices and Diversity." 50th New Mexico Annual Water Conference. New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute, Las Cruces, NM, October 18-20. Proceedings.

Sheng, Z., Sturdivant, A., Michelsen, A. and R. Lacewell. 2005. "Rapid Economic Assessment of Flood-control Failure Along the Rio Grande: A Case Study." Water Resources Development. 21(4):629-649.

Sheng, Z., Y., Liu, A. Michelsen and D. Xu. 2005. "Comparative Study in Water Resources Development of Western Regions in the United States and China". Transactions of American Society of Agricultural Engineers. 48(3):1015-1024.

Robinson, J.R.., A.M. Michelsen and N. Gollehon. 2005. "Impact of Irrigation Water Limitations from Federal Decisions in the Rio Grande Basin." American Agricultural Economic Association, Annual Meeting Proceedings, Providence, RI, July 24-27.

Cai, Ximing, L. Lasdon, A.M. Michelsen. 2004. "Group Decision Making in Water Resources Management Using Multiple Objective Analysis." Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management. 130(1):4-14.

Michelsen, A.M., F.A. Ward and L. DeMouche. 2003. "Agricultural Producers Identify Barriers to Improving Water Use Efficiency in the Rio Grande Basin." Water Security in the 21st Century, Joint UCOWR, NIWR, ASCE-EWRI Conference, Washington, DC, July 30 - August 1.

Ward, F.A. and A.M. Michelsen. 2002. "The Economic Value of Water in Agriculture: Concepts and Policy Applications." Water Policy. 4:423-446.

Huffaker, R., A.M. Michelsen, J. Hamilton and M. Frasier. 2001. "Western Water Allocation Issues Arising from the Hierarchy of International, Federal, State and Local Laws Regulating Water Transfer." Complexities With Transboundary Water Resource Management. Water Resources Update. 118:3-10.

Taylor, R.G., A.M. Michelsen and R.Huffaker. 2000. "Why the Price Chain for Federally Developed Irrigation Water Doesn't Promote Conservation." American Agricultural Economic Association. Choices. 3:13-16.

Michelsen, A.M., J.F. Booker and P. Person. 2000. "Expectations in Water Right Prices." International Journal of Water Resources Development. 16(2):209-219.

Michelsen, A.M., R.G. Taylor, R.Huffaker and T. McGuckin. 1999. "Emerging Agricultural Water Conservation Price Incentives." Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics. 24(1):222-238.

Michelsen, A.M., T. McGuckin and D.M. Stumpf. 1999. "Nonprice Water Conservation as a Demand Management Tool," Special issue on Human Dimensions in Watershed Management, Journal of the American Water Resources Association. 35(3):593-602.

Michelsen, A.M., T. McGuckin, R.G. Taylor and R. Huffaker. 1998. "Irrigation District Adoption of Water Conserving Rate Structures," Responsible Resource Use in a Global Economy, 1998 Annual Meeting, American Agricultural Economics Association, Salt Lake, Utah, August 2-5.

Michelsen, A.M., T. McGuckin and D.M. Stumpf. 1998. Effectiveness of Residential Water Conservation Price and Nonprice Programs. American Water Works Association Research Foundation. Denver, Colorado. ISBN 0-89867-954-0.

Harding, B., T. McGuckin, D. Gegax and A.M. Michelsen. 1997. "The Selection, Design and Evaluation of Conservation Oriented Rate Structures for Irrigation and Water Districts." Handbook on Incentive Pricing for Agricultural Water Districts, for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

Michelsen, A.M. 1994. "Administrative, Institutional and Structural Characteristics of an Active Water Market." Water Resources Bulletin. American Water Resources Association. Vol. 30(6):971-982.

Michelsen, A.M. and R.A. Young. 1993. "Optioning Agricultural Water Rights for Urban Water Supplies During Drought." American Journal of Agricultural Economics. 75:1010-1020.

Michelsen, A.M. 1989. Agricultural Compensation Payments for Water Diversion: Methods, Estimates and Adjustments. RCG/Hagler, Bailly, Inc. for Public Service Company of Colorado.

Member

American Agricultural Economics Association, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, American Water Resources Association, American Water Works Association, International Association of Energy Economists, International Society on Multiple Criteria Decision Making, Society for Benefit Cost Analysis, Texas Economists Association, Western Agricultural Economics Association

Additional Publications