Benjamin Smith

@benji5smith

Benjamin (Benji) Smith is a PhD Candidate in Applied Economics at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on urban and environmental economics, with active projects on how water scarcity affects new housing, mobility and gentrification, and the relationship between local water quality and neighborhood change. His work has been published in the Review of Finance and is forthcoming in the Journal of Labor Economics. 

Previously, he worked as a research associate and adjunct fellow at the American Enterprise Institute Housing Center, and received his BA in Economics and International Relations from the University of Southern California.

publications

Social Innovation

day one project

Policy Memo

Prioritize Western Water Grants that Support New Housing

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) should prioritize funding water projects for local governments that would expand the production of new housing in their service areas if given the water resources to do so. 

02.21.24 | 3 min read

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