Cohen Publishes in Two Journals

Jeffrey P. Cohen, associate professor of economics, Barney School of Business, co-authored an article with several engineers at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that was recently accepted for publication in the Journal of Irrigation and Drainage. The article is a case study for Kansas City, Mo., on the cost effectiveness of "green" storm water infrastructure, such as rain gardens, compared with traditional sewer systems.

The article finds Kansas City could save up to $35 million by using some green infrastructure in place of some of the traditional sewer systems in a particular neighborhood under consideration. Cohen and his co-authors (Richard Field and Anthony Tafuri of the U.S. EPA, and Michael Ports, an independent consultant) completed much of the research for the article during 2008. At that time, Cohen was a research fellow at the EPA through the National Research Council's Research Associateship program.

Cohen also recently co-authored an article in the Journal of Health Care Finance on the anticipated impacts of federal health-care reform on operating costs at nonprofit hospitals in Connecticut. The co-authors were William Gerrish of the Connecticut Department of Public Health and J. Robert Galvin, former Commisioner of Public Health for the State of Connecticut. The authors found that on average, the expected greater patient volumes at Connecticut hospitals may decrease outpatient costs per patient, while inpatient costs per patient are expected to rise.

In addition, Cohen served as a discussant at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy's annual conference in Cambridge, Mass., on May 24, 2011. He critiqued a paper on land value capture at airports, and his comments included a discussion of which airport activities should be taxed to generate the most tax revenues, and how airport slot auctions can raise revenues for airport expansions to alleviate congestion.