Bio

I am an environmental and development economist on the Sustainability and Infrastructure team in the Development Research Group at the World Bank.

My research focuses on the relationship between human development and environmental conditions. In particular I examine the causes and consequences of air pollution and the role of adaptation in reducing the damaging consequences of climate change. My work has been covered in The New York Times, NPR, the LA Times, Marketplace, and The Guardian. For the most up-to-date list of my publications see my Google Scholar page or my current work.

Prior to the World Bank I was a post-doc at Stanford's Center on Food Security and the Environment affiliated with the labs of David Lobell and Marshall Burke. I received my PhD from Harvard University where I was a Harvard Environmental Economics Program pre-doctoral fellow and a PhD affiliate of Evidence for Policy Design as well as an EPA STAR Fellow. I also have a Masters degree in Agricultural and Resource Economics from Colorado State University and a PgDip in Environmental Management from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand where I was a Fulbright Fellow.

Academic Appointments

  • Lecturer, Stanford in Washington

Honors & Awards

  • EPA STAR Fellow, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2014-2017)
  • Fulbright Fellow - New Zealand, U.S. Department of State (2011)

Professional Education

  • PhD, Harvard University, Public Policy (2020)
  • MS, Colorado State University, Agricultural and Resource Economics (2014)
  • PGDip, Victoria University of Wellington, Environmental Management (2011)
  • AB, Harvard University, Economics (2010)

Contact

  • Academic
    abehrer@stanford.edu
    University - Other Teaching/Research Department: H & S Programs Position: Lecturer

Additional Info

  • Mail Code: 4216

Links

2025-26 Courses

All Publications

  • Publisher Correction: Learning is inhibited by heat exposure, both internationally and within the United States. Nature human behaviour Park, R. J., Behrer, A. P., Goodman, J. 2020

    View details for DOI 10.1038/s41562-020-01032-1

    View details for PubMedID 33328626

  • Learning is inhibited by heat exposure, both internationally and within the United States. Nature human behaviour Park, R. J., Goodman, J., Behrer, A. P. 2020

    Abstract

    Human capital generally, and cognitive skills specifically, play a crucial role in determining economic mobility and macroeconomic growth. While elevated temperatures have been shown to impair short-run cognitive performance, much less is known about whether heat exposure affects the rate of skill formation. We combine standardized achievement data for 58 countries and 12,000 US school districts with detailed weather and academic calendar information to show that the rate of learning decreases with an increase in the number of hot school days. These results provide evidence that climatic differences may contribute to differences in educational achievement both across countries and within countries by socioeconomic status and that may have important implications for the magnitude and functional form of climate damages in coupled human-natural systems.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/s41562-020-00959-9

    View details for PubMedID 33020588