Jason Scorse

Associate Professor; Program Chair, Environmental Policy and Management; Director, Center for the Blue Economy

Jason Scorse
Office
Craig K23
Tel
(831) 647-3548
Email
jscorse@middlebury.edu

Jason Scorse completed his Ph.D. in Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics at UC-Berkeley in 2005 with a focus on environmental economics and policy, international development, and behavioral economics. Upon graduation, he became a full-time faculty member of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. He teaches courses in environmental and natural resource economics, ocean and coastal economics, and behavioral economics. In 2009 he was promoted to the Chair of the Environmental Policy and Management program, and in 2011 Professor Scorse became the Director of the Center for the Blue Economy, which provides “leadership in research, education, and analysis to promote a sustainable ocean and coastal economy.”

Professor Scorse has consulted for major environmental organizations, such as the Sierra Club, The Natural Conservancy, Earth Justice, and Oceana. In 2010 his book, What Environmentalists Need to Know About Economics, was published by Palgrave Macmillan. Dr. Scorse holds a position on the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Research Activities Panel and Save Our Shores’ Policy Committee, and is the MIIS faculty liaison for UC-Santa Cruz’s MARINE program.

Play The Climate Crisis is Here, Now Play

The Climate Crisis is Here, Now

We thought the climate crisis was a future problem, but it is here now. That’s the reality, but rather than fall into despair, we must face this reality and work to solve the problem. Dr. Jason Scorse explains.

Courses Taught

Course Description

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
The purpose of this course is to develop competency in economic theory as it relates to environmental issues, and the analytical skills necessary to evaluate, as well as craft, effective, efficient, and just environmental policies. We will highlight policies that influence (both directly and indirectly) the environment and natural resource use, and analyze their implications. The emphasis will be on identifying and assessing the appropriate economic tools for addressing current environmental issues. Students will learn how to “think like an economist,” which may not make for great party conversation, but is essential for conversing intelligently about the world’s major environmental problems and developing solutions.

Terms Taught

Fall 2024 - MIIS, Fall 2025 - MIIS

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

International Marine Policy Speaker SeriesThe primary purpose of this speaker series is to introduce incoming EPM students who are pursuing the “Ocean and Coastal Resource Management” concentration to a wide range of cutting-edge interdisciplinary topics. (In order to be eligible for the CBE Summer Fellows Program students must enroll in this course—auditing is acceptable—in addition to committing to the 16 units of advanced coursework in their second year.)
The series will include topics from the local to international levels, with a focus on the policy and economic implications. Students are encouraged to use these talks as networking opportunities, catalysts for future research, and most importantly, to help focus their career goals.
The series is open to all EPM and IPM students interested in ocean and coastal issues, as well as members of the MARINE network and the larger Monterey community.

Terms Taught

Fall 2024 - MIIS, Fall 2025 - MIIS

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

Terms Taught

Fall 2024 - MIIS, Spring 2025 - MIIS

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
The purpose of this course is to develop competency in economic theory as it relates to environmental issues, and the analytical skills necessary to evaluate, as well as craft, effective, efficient, and just environmental policies. We will highlight policies that influence (both directly and indirectly) the environment and natural resource use, and analyze their implications. The emphasis will be on identifying and assessing the appropriate economic tools for addressing current environmental issues. Students will learn how to “think like an economist,” which may not make for great party conversation, but is essential for conversing intelligently about the world’s major environmental problems and developing solutions.

Terms Taught

Fall 2022 - MIIS, Fall 2023 - MIIS

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

International Marine Policy Speaker SeriesThe primary purpose of this speaker series is to introduce incoming IEP students who are pursuing the “Ocean and Coastal Resource Management” concentration to a wide range of cutting-edge interdisciplinary topics. (In order to be eligible for the CBE Summer Fellows Program students must enroll in this course—auditing is acceptable—in addition to committing to the 16 units of advanced coursework in their second year.)
The series will include topics from the local to international levels, with a focus on the policy and economic implications. Students are encouraged to use these talks as networking opportunities, catalysts for future research, and most importantly, to help focus their career goals.
The series is open to all IEP and IPM students interested in ocean and coastal issues, as well as members of the MARINE network and the larger Monterey community.

Terms Taught

Fall 2022 - MIIS, Fall 2023 - MIIS

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

Student must obtain a faculty advisor, complete a Directed Study proposal form, obtain signatures, and submit to the Associate Dean of Academic Operations for approval.

Terms Taught

Fall 2022 - MIIS, Fall 2023 - MIIS

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

Professional Service Semester Field DeliverablesDuring their PSS internships students complete applied academic deliverables for which they earn six academic credits. The academic credit is not awarded for the internship itself, but for the work that applies students’ academic training to contribute to their host organizations’ mission in area of student’s career interest. The letter grades will be assigned based on the assessment of the following four deliverables:
PSS Field Project: By the end of their internships students must have completed an ambitious project or other relatively autonomous contribution that presents value for the host organization and builds on students’ strengths and advances his/her skills and knowledge. The field project can take the form of a policy or consultancy report, evaluation, analysis, a website, or other substantive contribution to their host organization that integrates high quality research, analysis, and other skills and subject-matter knowledge. Faculty with relevant expertise and assigned peers will provide every student regular feedback on the major steps of the field project. Student’s regular internship responsibilities ideally should overlap with, but are not limited to the core field assignment. The organizations receiving interns are encouraged to help students identify such assignments prior to their arrival or at the very latest within one month after the start of student’s internship. The organization should provide assistance and guidance in completing this assignment.
Presentation: In the final part of the internship students will present on their field project to their colleagues at their host organizations. The video recording of that presentation will be then reviewed by the MIIS faculty who will invite students for Q&A and also provide additional feedback to students to improve the quality of their final deliverable(s).
Peer feedback: Interns will collaborate with their assigned peers by providing mutual peer feedback on their core field assignments to improve the quality of their work and learn from each other.
Final reflection: Interns will submit a final reflection to PSS faculty and staff near the end of their internship- summarizing their most important insights and lessons they obtained from the internship experience for their professional and academic development.
Optional: Students are also highly encouraged to blog about their reflections on their internship experiences and comment on each others’ blogs throughout the internship assignment to maximize their learning.

Terms Taught

Spring 2026 - MIIS

View in Course Catalog

Course Description

Terms Taught

Spring 2025 - MIIS

View in Course Catalog

Areas of Interest

Dr. Scorse believes strongly that the innovation in public policy is in the implementation since we already have the basic theories worked out about what we need to do; the difficult part is the how. To that end, he believes a greater understanding of psychology, sociological, communication, and political economy are needed, as there is a lot of power and inertia behind the status quo. Dr. Scorse is convinced that along with shifting our energy systems away from fossil fuels to renewable sources, a shift away from animal foods towards a plant-based lifestyle is needed to achieve true sustainability.

In his spare time he longboards, cooks gourmet vegan food, and writes fiction for when he starts his new career after we’ve solved all of the world’s great environmental challenges.

Programs

Research Centers

Academic Degrees

  • PhD in Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, Berkeley, 2005

Dr. Scorse has been teaching at the Institute since 2004.

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles, Books, and Book Chapters

  • Doerr, A., Anderson, L. and J. Scorse (Forthcoming). Marine Entrepreneurship. Ocean and Society: An Introduction to Marine Studies (Ana K. Spalding and Daniel O. Suman eds.)  Taylor & Francis/Routledge, New York.
  • Colgan, Charles and Scorse, Jason (2021). Ocean Climate Policy. In: Brears R.C. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Climate Resilient Societies. Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
  • Aisbett et al. (2021). Do Multinational Corporations Exploit Foreign Workers? In: C. Fritz Foley, James Hines, and David Wessel (eds) Global Goliaths: Multinational Corporations in the 21st Century. Brookings Institution Press, Washington D.C.
  • Scorse, Jason D.; Richards, Shaun; and King, Philip (2017) “The Market Transfer Effect in the Hawaiian Longline Fishery: Why Correlation Does Not Imply Causation,” Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics: Vol. 4: Iss. 1, Article 2.
  • Scorse, Jason and Trent Hodges, Chapter 8, “The Non-Market Value of Surfing and its Policy Implications,” Sustainable Surfing, Edited by Gregory Bourne and Jess Ponting, Routledge, UK, 2017. pp. 137-144.
  • Scorse, Jason and Judith Kildow, Chapter 11, “Economic Services and their Economic and Social Value,” Routledge Handbook of Ocean Resources and Management, Edited by Hance D. Smith, Juan Luis Suarez de Vivero, and Tundi S. Agardy, Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, London UK, 2016. pp. 176-187.
  • Scorse, J., Reynolds, F. and A. Sackett. “The Impact of Surf Breaks on Home Prices in Santa Cruz, CA.” Tourism Economics (2015), 21(2): 409-418.
  • Scorse, Jason. What Environmentalists Need to Know about Economics. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.
  • Scorse, Jason (2010). Freeing the Market to Address Climate Change. The Solutions Journal, 1(6):29-32.
  • Harrison, Ann and Scorse, Jason (2010). Multinationals and Anti-Sweatshop Activism. American Economic Review, 100(1): 247-273.
  • Harrison, Ann and Jason Scorse. (2009). Do Foreign-Owned Firms Pay More? Evidence from the Indonesian Manufacturing Sector in Labour Markets and Economic Development (Ravi Kanbur and Jan Svejnar eds.), Routledge, New York.
  • Scorse, Jason. (2009).Making Matters Worse. The International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Response, 1(1):1-6.
  • Harrison, Ann & Jason Scorse. (2006). Improving the Conditions of Workers? Minimum Wage Legislation and Anti-Sweatshop Activism. California Management Review. 2(48):144-160. (Also issued as a Harvard Business School case study)
  • Harrison, Ann & Jason Scorse. (2004). The Impact of Globalization on Compliance with Labor   Standards: A Plant-Level Study in Brookings Trade Forum 2003 (Susan Collins and Dani Rodrik eds.), Brookings Institution Press, Washington D.C..
  • Scorse, Jason. (2001). Reflections on the Free Trade Debate. Economia Rural, 1(12):8-11

Working Papers, Reports, White Papers, and MISC.

  • Helvarg, David and Scorse, Jason. Putting the Blue in the Green New Deal. Mongabay. 2019.
  • Kerr, Aimee and Scorse, Jason (2018). The Use of Seal Bombs in California Fisheries. Center for the Blue Economy Working Paper.
  • Scaling Local Bounty: A Synthesis Report (Lovewell et. al), 2015.
  • Does Being a “Top 10” Worst Polluter Affect Facility Environmental Releases? Evidence from the U.S. Toxic Release Inventory (coauthored with Wolfram Schlenker), 2015.
  • Scorse, Jason and Kildow, Judy. 2014. The Potential Economic Impacts of the Proposed Central Coast National Marine Sanctuary. San Luis Obispo: Sierra Club of California. Print.
  • Kildow, J., Colgan, C., Scorse, J., Johnston, P., and M. Nichols. State of the U.S. Ocean and Coastal Economies 2014. Monterey: Center for the Blue Economy. Print.
  • Scorse, J. “Environmentalism” Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2014. 130-132. Print.
  • The WTO’s Environmental Mandate, 2011.
  • Book review of Economic Thought and U.S. Climate Change Policy. Edited by David M. Driesen. Cambridge, MA. MIT Press, 2010. (In Perspectives on Politics)
  • The Capitalist Conundrum, 2010.
  • Scorse, Jason. (2009). Non-Market Valuation of Ocean Resources in the National Ocean Economics Report (Judy Kildow ed.), National Ocean Economics Program, Moss Landing, CA.
  • Why Environmentalists Should Embrace Economics, 2006.
  • Do Foreign Firms Pay More? Evidence from the Indonesian Manufacturing Sector 1990-1999. International Labor Organization, Working Paper No. 98, 2005 (coauthored with Ann Harrison and submitted).
  • Is There Acquiescence in Yes-No Questions? (coauthored with Michael Hanemann &   Jon Krosnick), 2005.
  • Harrison, Ann & Jason Scorse. 2004. Moving Up or Moving Out? Anti-Sweatshop Activists and Labor Market Outcomes, National Bureau of Economic Research, Working Paper No. w10492.

Magazine & Newspaper Articles 

  • Scorse, Jason. “The Silver Bullet Is On Our Plate.” The Santa Cruz Sentinel 11 March 2018.
  • Scorse, Jason.  “The Pillar of Seafood Sustainability is Traceability (and its future isn’t bright).” The National Security Forum March 2017.
  • Scorse, Jason and Kildow, Judith. “In Defense of Local Marine Sanctuary Study.” The Tribune 4 September 2015.
  • Schapiro, Mark and Scorse, Jason. “Oil Companies Quietly Prepare for a Future of Carbon Pricing.” Yale Environment 360 23 September 2014.
  • Scorse, Jason. “Cheap Gas Hurts The Middle Class.” Fortune 6 December 2012.
  • Scorse, Jason and Kildow, Judy. “End Federal Flood Insurance.” The New York Times 28 November 2012.
  • Scorse, Jason. “My Word: Must never take coast’s economic value for granted.” Oakland Tribune 10 July 2012.
  • Strong-Cvetich, Nikolas & Jason Scorse. (2008). Ecotourism in Post-Conflict Peace-Building: A New Tool for Reconciliation? Ecoclub: International Ecotourism Magazine. 8(96):10-17.

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