Environmental Economics, Health Economics, Energy Economics, Program Evaluation, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)
Dr. Kim currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Economics at George Mason University Korea (Mason Korea). He earned his Ph.D. in economics from North Carolina State University in 2017. His specializations include environmental economics, health economics, energy economics, and applied microeconometrics. His research primarily focuses on the intersections of these fields, utilizing advanced empirical microeconometric techniques to analyze the causal impact of air pollution on various outcomes such as health, renewable energy efficiency (specifically solar PV power generation), and migration decision-making. In his most recent work, Dr. Kim investigates Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing, emphasizing the role of environmental economics in optimizing sustainable investment strategies.
Before joining Mason Korea, Dr. Kim held positions as a Research Professor in the Graduate School of Energy and Environment (KU-KIST Green School) at Korea University and as a Visiting Assistant Professor in the International Master of Environmental Policy (iMEP) program and the Division of Social Sciences at Duke Kunshan University. Additionally, he has taught economics as an adjunct faculty member at Elon University and North Carolina State University.
Working papers
Air Pollution and Solar Photovoltaic Power Generation: Evidence from South Korea, Under review
Subsidy for Water Savings During 2015 Drought in Korea. (with Ki-Dong Kwon, Yeonjae Chang, Dae-Wook Kim, Man-Keun Kim), Under review
Enhancing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Investing through Environmental Economics
Associations of Ozone and Fine Particulate Matter with Respiratory Hospital Visits in South Korea. (with Ron Shadbegian and Young-Sook Eom)
How does Exposure to Fine Particles and Ozone Affect Children’s Health? Evidence from South Korea. (with Ron Shadbegian, Young-Sook Eom, Andrew Schreiber)
How do Fine Particles Affect Birth Outcomes? Evidence from South Korea. (with Young-Sook Eom, Ron Shadbegian, Yoon-Hyeong Choi, Jiyeon Shim)
Work in progress
Machine Learning Approach for Estimating the Health Effects of Air Pollution. (with Euihyun Moon)
Principal Investigator (PI), July-December 2023, "Unintended Consequences of Health Care Reform in South Korea: Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity in Time Design," Mason Korea Faculty Research and Development Awards. KRW4,100,000(US$3,000)
Co-PI, Aug-Sep 2022, "Research on Energy Efficiency Network Evaluation and Activation," Korea Energy Economics Institute. KRW20,000,000 (US$15,000).
AERE Scholar, 2021-2022, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.
Co-PI, 2020, "Workshop on Agricultural Economics, Environmental Economics, and Health Economics," Duke Kunshan Environmental Research Center. US$20,000.
Co-PI, 2018-2022, “A Study of Sustainable Livestock Grazing on Giant Panda Habitats and Management Measures," Ocean Park Conservation Foundation Hong Kong. HK$3,868,000 (US$495,000).
Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency/Environment for Development Initiative Travel Grant for the 6th World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists, 2018.
PI, 2017-2018, “Transboundary Air Pollution Problem in East Asia," Duke Kunshan Environmental Research Center. CNY16,000 (US$2,500).
ECON 103: Microeconomic Principles
ECON 104: Macroeconomic Principles (Summer 2023)
ECON 296/496: Economics of Sustainable Development
ECON 335: Environmental Economics
Ph.D., Economics, North Carolina State University
B.A., Economics, Yonsei University
IGC Research Showcase, Incheon 2023
Korea's Allied Economic Associations Annual Meeting, Korea University, Seoul, 2023
Korean Association for Public Administration (KAPA) Annual International Conference, Seoul 2022
Korea Environmental Economics Association (KEEA) Annual Summer Conference, Busan 2022
Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (AERE) Annual Summer Conference, Miami, FL, USA 2022
The 10th Congress of the Asian Association of Environmental and Resource Economics (AAERE), Seoul National University, Seoul, 2021
American Economic Association/Allied Social Science Associations (AEA/ASSA) Annual Meeting, San Diego, California, United States, 2020
"한국 미세먼지 5분의 1은 중국발…초미세먼지 더하면 그 이상" YTN사이언스 (YTN Science), Jan 10, 2020.
"한국 내 '입자 큰 PM10 미세먼지' 19%는 중국발 영향" 연합뉴스 (Yonhap News Agency), Jan 9, 2020.