Thanks for reading! My larger research agenda focuses on water, cities, and housing within environmental, urban, and public economics. I am on the academic job market this year and am very much hirable. You can find my full JMP here: sites.google.com/view/benjono...
10/10

Variable pricing results in greater welfare gains disproportionately benefitting homebuyers. However, even though both policies lower metropolitan-area level water use the same amount, variable WIFs cause a large local rebound effect, increasing water use for adopting utilities. 8/10

Finally, using the model I compare variable pricing to another counterfactual, common tool to manage water scarcity: mandating that new housing limit outdoor irrigated areas. 7/10

Using 🚨new data 🚨 on utility policies and water use from aerial imagery, I find that variable WIFs cause builders to reduce lot sizes by 15% and irrigated areas by 30%, cutting household water use by 15%. I also find that fees are fully capitalized into house prices. But... 4/10

Some utilities use variable WIFs, pricing fees based on expected water use, rather than flat fees.

These fees are steep—the average new single-family house in Colorado had a $20,000 WIF in 2019! 💸 3/10