Countries where I have done most of my research include:

Africa: Ethiopia, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, South Africa

Asia: China, India, Indonesia, Nepal

I do much of my research in close collaboration with my current and ex-PhD students. Most of our PhD students have been from developing countries. I view this collaboration and investment in capacity-building as my most important contribution to development. At the same time, we are required to publish internationally, and that is also a very important way of disseminating information about our research and ensuring that we do good quality work.

Link to my pictures: Gallery

Current and recent activities:

We have established a research group in Behavioral and Experimental Economics (BEE) in our School in 2023. We aim to run monthly seminars and to develop more joint research in this interesting area. More information about our activity is found here.

New Research Projects

SMARTEX - Experiments for Development of Climate Smart Agriculture

Funded by NORAD under NORHED II. Project period 2021-2024. 

A collaborative research and capacity-building program with the School of Economics and Business (SEB) at NMBU, Ås, Norway, and LUANAR, Malawi, as the main partners. The Project builds on the long-term Collaboration between SEB-NMBU and LUANAR, including under NORHED I, the project Climate-Smart Natural Resource Management and Policy (CLISNARP). LUANAR has established its own PhD program in Economics and is in strong need to further develop and strengthen its capacity to run this program. SEB-NMBU will contribute to this within the areas of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, Climate Economics, and Land Tenure and Property Markets. Especially, the use of experimental methods will be applied to issues associated with finding climate-smart solutions for sustainable intensification of agriculture in Malawi.

Youth Business Groups for Sustainable Development: Lessons from the Ethiopian Model.

Funded by Research Council of Norway under the NORGLOBAL2 program for the period 2019-2022. The project studies youth business groups that have been allocated communal land to establish sustainable businesses in northern Ethiopia. The project combines surveys, field experiments and randomized control trials and includes alternative forms of training to enhance the performance of the group businesses. 

Note: Due to the coronavirus pandemic and 2 years of civil war in the study area, the project has been delayed but has been expanded through 2023 and started again in March 2023 to investigate the situation on the ground. A final survey with a new round of experiments was implemented in the period August-December 2023. The project period for analysis and write-up is extended to December 2024.

2024

Journal papers and Book chapters:

Holden, S. T.  & Tilahun, M.  (2024).Can Climate Shocks Make Vulnerable Subjects More Willing to Take Risks? Environmental and Resource Economics doi: /10.1007/s10640-024-00850-5

Zhang, H. & Holden, S. T. (2024). Disability types and children’s schooling in Africa. The International Journal of Disability, Development and Education doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2024.2355621

Takahashi, R., Otsuka, K., Tilahun, M., Birhane, E., Holden, S. T. (2024). Beyond Ostrom: Randomized experiment of the impact of individualized tree rights on forest management in Ethiopia. World Development 178, June 2024, 106586. doi: /10.1016/j.worlddev.2024.106586

Pre-Analysis Plan:

Tione, S., Holden, S. T., Katengeza, S. and Tilahun, M. (2024). Irrigation Development, Land Tenure and Climate Shocks among Farmers in the Flood Plain of Malawi: A Pre-Analysis Plan and Documentation for Ethical Approval by Institutional Review Board at NMBU. CLTS Report No. 3/2023. Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Download here

Conference presentations

I presented at the World Bank Land Conference in Washington, D.C. May 2024 the paper by Holden, S. T., Makate, C. and Tione, S. Measurement Error and Farm Size: Do Nationally Representative Surveys Provide Reliable Estimates? Download here

I present at the Global Congress on Climate Change in Lisbon, Portugal on September 9-10, 2024 the paper Holden, S. T. & Tilahun, M. (2024).Can Climate Shocks Make Vulnerable Subjects More Willing to Take Risks? Environmental and Resource Economics

 

Working papers:

Holden, S. T., Tione, S., Tilahun, M. and Katengeza, S. (2024). Does luck make people more optimistic and patient? - Lessons from an experiment with students and rural subjects in Malawi. CLTS Working Paper No. 04/2024. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Download here

Holden, S. T., Tione, S., Tilahun, M. and Katengeza, S. (2024). Are decision errors explaining hyperbolic discounting and non-linear probability weighting? CLTS Working Paper No. 03/2024. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Download here

Zhang, H. and Holden, S. T. (2024). Sibling Spillover Effects and Educational Outcomes in Ghana and Niger. CLTS Working Paper No. 02/2024. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Download here

Sommervoll, D. E. and Holden, S. T. (2024). Dominated choices in Risk and Time Elicitation. CLTS Working Paper No. 01/2024. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway.

Download here

2023

Journal papers and Book chapters:

Makate, C. Angelsen, A., Holden, S. T., Westengen, O. T. (2023). Rainfall shocks and inequality have heterogeneous effects on farmers' seed purchase decisions in East Africa, Climate Risk Management Volume 42, 100556, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2023.100556.

Tilahun M., Holden S. T. (2023): Livelihood diversification and migration intentions among land-poor youth in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: do they correlate with livestock assets, trust, and trustworthiness? Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, vol. 7. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1175572

Zhang, H. & Holden, S. T. (2023). Numeracy skills learning of children in Africa: Are disabled children lagging behind? PLoS ONE 18(4): e0284821. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284821.

Makate, C. Angelsen, A., Holden, S. T., Westengen, O. T. (2023). Evolution of farm-level crop diversification and response to rainfall shocks in smallholder farming: Evidence from Malawi and Tanzania, Ecological Economics, 205, 107736, ISSN 0921-8009, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2022.107736.

Holden, S. T. (2023). Fifty Years of Research on Land Tenure Policies and Land Markets: What Are the Major Lessons? Chapter 9 in Jonna P. Estudillo, Yoko Kijima & Tetsushi Sonobe (Eds.) Agricultural Development in Asia and Africa: Essays in Honor of Keijiro Otsuka. Springer.

Holden, S. T. & Tilahun, M. (2023). How are social preferences of youth related to their motivation to invest in environmental conservation (local public goods)? Chapter 4 in Behavioural Economics and the Environment: A Research Companion - 1st (routledge.com), edited by A. Bucciol, A. Tavoni, and  M. Veronesi. ISBN 9781032003535, February 15, 2023, Forthcoming by Routledge. 

Pre-Analysis Plan:

Holden, S. T., Tilahun, M., Sommervoll, D. E., and Sandorf, E. D. (2023).Civil War Impacts on Youth Business Groups in Tigray: A Pre-Analysis Plan and Documentation for Ethical Approval by Institutional Review Board at NMBU.CLTS Report No. 2/2023. Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway.

Working papers:

Sommervoll, D. E., Holden, S. T., and Tilahun, M. (2023). Intertemporal Choice Lists and Maximal Likelihood Estimation of Discount Rates. CLTS Working Paper No. 09/2023. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway.

Zhang, H. and Holden, S. T. (2023). Country Socio-economic Development and Disparity in School Children's Reading Skills Learning in Africa. CLTS Working Paper No. 08/2023. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway.

Holden, S. T., Makate, C. and Tione, S. (2023). Measurement Error and Farm Size: Do Nationally Representative Surveys Provide Reliable Estimates? CLTS Working Paper No. 07/2023. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway.

Holden, S. T. and Tione, S. E., Tilahun, M., and Katengeza, S. (2023). How WEIRD are student samples? Lessons based on the trust game in Malawi.CLTS Working Paper No. 06/2023. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway.

Holden, S. T. & Tilahun, M. (2023). Numeracy Skills, Decision Errors, and Risk Preference Estimation.CLTS Working Paper No. 05/2023. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway.

Zhang, H. and Holden, S. T. (2023): Disability Types and Children's Schooling in Africa.” Available at SSRN: http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4096305

Holden, S. T. and Tione, S. E., Tilahun, M., and Katengeza, S. (2023): “Measurement Error, Luck and Risk-Taking by University Students in a Repeated Risky Investment Game”. Available at SSRN:  https://ssrn.com/abstract=4471965 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4471965

Holden, S. T. & Tilahun, M. (2023). Can climate shocks make vulnerable subjects more willing to take risks? CLTS WP No. 3/2923. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Link

Holden, S. T., Tione, S., Tilahun, M., and Katengeza, S. (2023). Religion, beliefs, trust, and COVID vaccination behavior among rural people in Malawi. CLTS WP No. 4/2023. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Link

Conference presentations and Seminars

Holden, S. T. & Tilahun, M. (2023). Can climate shocks make vulnerable subjects more willing to take risks? Paper presented at the Nordic Conference in Development Economics, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden, June 14-15, 2023.

Holden. S. T. (2023). Social Preferences, Trust, and Performance of Youth Business Groups. Invited speaker presentation at the Australasian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society's 37th Annual Conference, 7th-10th February 2023, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Holden, S. T. (2023). Can climate shocks make vulnerable subjects more willing to take risks? Presentation at the Department of Economics and Public Policy, University of Adelaide, Australia, February 19th, 2023.

2022

Journal papers:

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2022). Are risk preferences explaining gender differences in investment behavior? Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics Link

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2022.101949

Holden, S. T., Sommervoll, D. E., & Tilahun, M. (2022): Mental Zooming as Variable Asset Integration in Inter-Temporal Choice. International Journal of Applied Behavioral Economics (IJABE), 11(1), 1-21.

http://doi.org/10.4018/IJABE.305241

Makate, C., Angelsen, A., Holden, S.T. & Westengen, O. T. (2022): Crops in crises: Shocks shape smallholders' diversification in rural Ethiopia. World Development, Vol 159, ISSN 0305-750X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.106054.

Tione, S.E. and Holden, S.T. (2022).  A farm household and land rental market transaction costs model.

Land Economics 98, 1.

Tione, S. E. and Holden, S. T. (2022).Non-Convex Transaction Costs and Land Rental Market Participation in Malawi. Land Economics, doi: 10.3368/le.98.1.062620-0092R

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2022).Endowment effects in the risky investment game?Theory and Decision, Link

Book chapters:

Holden, S. T. (2022). The Gender Dimensions of Land Tenure Reforms in Ethiopia 1995-2020. Chapter 12 in Uchendu Eugene Chigbu (Ed.) Land Governance and Gender: The Tenure-Gender Nexus in Land Management and Land Policy, CABI, pp. 143-152. 

Conference Presentations:

Holden, S. T., Tione, S., Tilahun, M., and Katengeza, S. (2022). The Predictive Power of Luck: Luck and Risk-Taking in a Repeated Risky Investment Game. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of Norwegian Economists (Forskermøtet), Stavanger University, 25-26. October, 2022.

Aryal J. P., Holden S. T., Bhattarai M., and Rahut D. B., (2022) Exploration of farm mechanization among smallholder farmers: Evidence from Indian states of Haryana and Bihar. Link: Paper presented at the Asian Economic Development Conference 2022, under the theme‘Inclusive, sustainable recovery in Asia and the Pacific,' 14-15 July 2022, organized by the Asian Development Bank, in Tokyo, Japan.  

Working papers:

Holden, S. T., Katengeza, S., Tione, S. & Tilahun, M. (2022).Religion, perceptions, and behavior during the corona/COVID-19 pandemic among university students in Malawi.CLTS Working Paper No. 8/2022. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway.

Holden, S. T., Katengeza, S., Tione, S. & Tilahun, M. (2022).Knowledge, beliefs, perceptions, and behavior related to the corona (COVID-19) pandemic among university students in Malawi.CLTS Working Paper No. 7/2022. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway.

Holden, S. T., Katengeza, S., Tione, S., Tilahun, M., Berg, Ø. Chimseu, P. & Njinga, B. (2022).The Corona pandemic among university students in Malawi.CLTS Working Paper No. 6/2022. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway.

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2022). Can the risky investment game predict real world investments? CLTS Working Paper No. 5/2022. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. 

Zhang, H. and Holden, S. T. (2022). Disability types and children’s schooling in Africa. CLTS Working Paper No. 4/2022. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. 

Holden, S. T., Tilahun, M., and Sommervoll, D. E. (2022). Is diminishing impatience in time-dated risky prospects explained by probability weighting? CLTS Working Paper No. 3/2022. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. 

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2022). Gender differences in investments and risk preferences. CLTS Working Paper No. 2/2022. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway.

2021

Journal papers:

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2021). Mobile phones, leadership and gender in rural business groups. World Development Perspectives, doi: 10.1016/j.wdp.2021.100370

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2021). Preferences, trust, and performance in youth business groups. PLOS ONE, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257637

Jayne, T. S., Chamberlin, J., Holden, S. T., Ghebru, H., Ricker-Gilbert, J., and Place, F. (2021). Rising land commodification in sub-Saharan Africa: Reconciling the diverse narratives. Global Food Security, doi: 10.1016/j.gfs.2021.100565

Tione, S. E. and Holden, S. T. (2021). Can rainfall shocks enhance access to rented land? Evidence from Malawi. Agricultural Economics, doi: 10.1111/agec.12663

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2021). Are land-poor youth accessing rented land? Evidence from northern Ethiopia. Land Use Policy, Volume 108, September 2021, 105516. Link

Legesse, B.; Shively, G. E. and  Holden, S. T. (2021). Implications of Food-for-Work Programs for Consumption and Production Diversity: Evidence from the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Agricultural and Food Economics (In press).

Gebru, M., Holden, S. T. and Alfnes, F. (2021). Adoption analysis of agricultural technologies in the semi-arid northern Ethiopia: A Panel Data Analysis. Agricultural and Food Economics 9(12) Link

Katengeza, S. P. Holden, S. T. (2021). Productivity impact of drought tolerant maize varieties under rainfall stress in Malawi: A continuous treatment approach. Agricultural Economics 52 (1), 157-171. Link

Conference Presentations:

Presentations at the International Conference of Agricultural Economist (ICAE) 31st Triennial virtual meeting held from 17th to 31st August 2021

1) Stein T. Holden and Mesfin Tilahun (2021). Mobile Phones, Leadership and Gender in Rural Business Groups, presented by Mesfin Tilahun on 23rd August 2021 under the session "Adoption of Technology and Farm Practices"

2) Sarah E. Tione and Stein T. Holden (2021). Non-convex transaction costs and land rental market participation in Malawi? presented on 24th August 2021 under the session "Land Access/Land Tenure/ Land Market/Land Rights/Land Rent/Deforestation/Lan Investment/ Land Use/Land Productivity 3"

3) Stein T. Holden and Mesfin Tilahun (2021). How Large is the Endowment Effect in the Risky Investment Game? presented on 30th August 2021 under the session "Survey/Method 1"

Working papers:

Takahashi, R., Otsuka, K., Tilahun, M., Birhane, E., and Holden, S. T. (2021). Beyond Ostrom: Randomized Experiment of the Impact of Individualized Tree Rights on Forest Management in Ethiopia. CLTS Working Paper No. 6/2021. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. 

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2021). Shocks and Stability of Risk Preferences. CLTS Working Paper No. 5/2021. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. 

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2021). How Large is the Endowment Effect in the Risky Investment Game? CLTS Working Paper No. 4/2021. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway.

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2021). How are social preferences of youth related to their motivation to invest in environmental conservation (local public goods)? CLTS Working Paper No. 3/2021. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

2020

Journal papers:

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2020). Farm size and gender distribution of land: Evidence from Ethiopian land registry data. World Development 130: doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.104926  Link

Tione, S. E. and Holden, S. T. (2020). Urban proximity, demand for land and land shadow prices in Malawi. Land Use Policy, Link doi: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104509. 

Gebrehiwot, D. B. and Holden, S. T. (2020). Variation in Output Shares and Endogenous Matching in Land Rental Contracts: Evidence from Ethiopia. Journal of Agricultural Economics, 71(1): 260-282. Link

doi: 10.1111/1477-9552.12345

Book review:

Holden, S. T. (2020). Svein Ege (Ed.): Land Tenure Security. State-Peasant Relations in the Amhara Highlands, Ethiopia. James Currey . Norwegian Anthropological Journal, doi: 10.18261 / issn.1504-2898-2020-01-02-15

Book chapters:

Holden, S. T. (2020). Policies for Improved Food Security: The Roles of Land Tenure Policies and Land Markets, Chapter in "The Role of Smallholder Farms in Food and Nutrition Security", edited by Gomez y Paloma S., Riesgo L., Louhichi K. Link

Conference Presentations:

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2020). Endowment Effects and Loss aversion in the Risky Investment Game. Paper presented at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Norwegian Association of Economists, NMBU, Ås, 6-7th January 2020. Link

Seminar presentations:

Lifting barriers for youth access to land: - The Ethiopian Experiences, by Stein Holden at the UN-Habitat meeting in Oslo on January 30th, 2020.

Youth Business Groups for Sustainable Development: - Lessons from the Ethiopian Model, by Stein Holden at the Meeting with the Rector and Prorektors at the School of Economics and Business, NMBU, 29th January 2020.

CLTS Research Report:

Holden, S. T., Tilahun, M., Vorlaufer, T. and Engel, S. (2020). The effects of gender empowerment training on within-group gender differences in performance and overall group performance: A Pre-Analysis Plan. CLTS Report No. 1/2020. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Working papers:

Holden, S. T., Tilahun, M. and Sommervoll, D. E. (2020). Magnitude Effects and Utility Curvature in Inter-temporal Choice. CLTS Working Paper No. 8/2020. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. 

Holden, S. T., Sommervoll, D. E. and Tilahun, M. (2020). Mental Zooming as Variable Asset Integration in Inter-temporal Choice. CLTS Working Paper No. 7/2020. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway.

Holden, S. T. (2020). Gender dimensions of land tenure reforms in Ethiopia 1995-2020. CLTS Working Paper No. 6/2020. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. 

Tione, S. E. and Holden, S. T. (2020). Can rainfall shocks enhance access to rented land? Evidence from Malawi. CLTS Working Paper No. 5/2020. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway.

Gebru, G. Holden, S. T. and Alfnes, F. (2020). Adoption of agricultural technologies in the semi-arid northern Ethiopia: A Panel Data Analysis. CLTS Working Paper No. 3/2020. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2020). Farm size and gender distribution of land: Evidence from Ethiopian land registry data. CLTS Working Paper No. 2/2020. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2020). Endowment Effects and Loss Aversion in the Risky Investment Game. CLTS Working Paper No. 1/2020. Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

2019

Journal papers:

Holden, S. T. (2019). Economics of Farm Input Subsidies in Africa. Annual Review of Resource Economics, 11, 501-522. Doi: 10.1146/annurev-resource-100518-094002. Link

Holden, S. T. and Bezu, S. (2019). Exchange asymmetries in productive assets: Tools, fertilizer or cash? World Development 115, 269-278. Link

Gebru, M., Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2019). Tenants’ land access in the rental market: evidence from northern Ethiopia. Agricultural Economics,, doi: 10.1111/agec.12484. Link

Hadush, M., Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2019). Does population pressure induce farm intensification? empirical evidence from Tigrai Region, Ethiopia. Agricultural Economics, doi:10.1111/agec.12482. Link

Katengeza, S., Holden, S. T. and Fischer, M. (2019). Use of Integrated Soil Fertility Management Technologies in Malawi: Impact of Dry Spells Exposure. Ecological Economics, 156 (February), 134-152. Link

Book chapter:

Tilahun, M., Holden, S. T., and Mangisoni, J. (2019). Capacity  building for climate-smart natural resource management and policy  in Malawi and Ethiopia. Chapter 7 in T. Halvorsen, K. S. Orgeret and R. Krøvel (Eds.) Sharing Knowledge Transforming Societies. The Norhed Programme 2013-2020. African Minds, Cape Town, South Africa, pp. 178-190. Link

Conference Presentations:

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2019). How Do Social Preferences and Norms of Reciprocity affect Generalized and Particularized Trust? Presented at the Sustainability and Development Conference at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, October 11-14, 2019. Link

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2019). The Devil is in the Details: Risk Preferences, Choice List Design, and Measurement Error. Presented at the Nordic Conference in Behavioral and Experimental Economics in Kiel, Germany, on September 27-28, 2019. Link

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2019). Are land-poor youth accessing rented land? Evidence from northern Ethiopia. Presented in an Invited Panel on Youth and Land Access in Africa at the African Conference of Agricultural Economists arranged by the African Association of Agricultural Economics in Abuja, Nigeria, September 23-26, 2019. Link

Working papers:

Tione, S. E. and Holden, S. T.  (2019). Transaction costs and land rental market participation in Malawi. CLTS Working Paper No. 9/2019 . Center for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2019). How Do Social Preferences and Norms of Reciprocity affect Generalized and Particularized Trust? CLTS Working Paper No. 8/2019. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2019). Are land-poor youth accessing rented land? Evidence from northern Ethiopia. CLTS Working Paper No. 7/2019. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2019). Gender Assessment of Youth Business Groups: Female Participation and Characteristics. CLTS Working Paper No. 6/2019. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2019). Youth Business Groups and Leadership: - Group Leader and Member Survey Statistics. CLTS Working Paper No. 5/2019. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2019). How related are risk preferences and time preferences? CLTS Working Paper No. 4/2019. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2019). The Devil is in the Details: Risk Preferences, Choice List Design, and Measurement Error. CLTS Working Paper No. 3/2019. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Tione, S. E. and Holden, S. T. (2019). Urban proximity, demand for land and land prices in Malawi. CLTS Working Paper No. 1/2019. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

2018

Journal papers:

Ghebru, H. and Holden, S. T. (2018). Land rental markets and rural poverty dynamics in Northern Ethiopia: Panel data evidence using survival models. Review of Development Economics, Link doi: 10.1111/rode.12548.

Holden, S. T. (2018). Fertilizer and Sustainable Intensification in Sub-Saharan Africa. Global Food Security 18, 20-26. Link

Katengeza, S. P., Holden, S. T.,  and Lunduka, R. W. (2018). Adoption of Drought Tolerant Maize Varieties under Rainfall Stress in Malawi. Journal of Agricultural Economics, Link Doi: 10.1111/1477-9552.12283.

Deininger, K., Xia, F. and Holden, S. T. (2018). Gendered Incidence and Impacts of Tenure Insecurity on Agricultural Performance in Malawi’s Customary Tenure System. Journal of Development Studies Link

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2018). The importance of Ostrom's design principles: Youth group performance in Northern Ethiopia. World Development 104: 10-30. Link

Holden, S. T., Strand, G. H., Berge, E., Sjaastad, E. O., Steinsholt, H. (2018). Regional variasjon i jordleie og bruksstruktur: En studie basert på tre utvalgte kommuner. Kart og Plan, 78: 1–14. Link

Fisher, M., Holden, S. T., Thierfelder, C., Katengeza, S. P. (2018). Awareness and adoption of conservation agriculture in Malawi: what difference can farmer-to-farmer extension make? International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 1-16. Link Doi: 10.1080/14735903.2018.1472411.

Holden, S. T., Fisher, M., Katengeza, S., Thierfelder, C. (2018). Can Lead Farmers Reveal the Adoption Potential of Conservation Agriculture? The Case of Malawi. Land Use Policy 76C, 113-123. Link

Working papers:

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2018). Land rental as a complementary income source for land-poor youth. CLTS Working Paper No. 6/2018. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2018). Gender Digital Divide and Youth Business Group Leadership. CLTS Crking Paper No. 5/2018. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2018). Gender Differences in Risk Tolerance, Trust and Trustworthiness: Are They Related? CLTS Working Paper No. 3/2018. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Brhanu, D. and Holden, S. T. (2018). Variation in Output Shares and Endogenous Matching in Land Rental Contracts. CLTS Working Paper No. 2/2018. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Holden, S. T. (2018). Fertilizer and Sustainable Intensification in Africa. CLTS Working Paper No. 1/2018. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Conference presentations

30th International Conference of Agricultural Economics (ICAE) in Vancouver, USA, 28. July - 2. August, 2018

Papers presented: 

a) "Land rental as a complementary income source for land-poor youth" coauthored with Mesfin Tilahun

b) "Probability Weighting and Fertilizer Use in a State-Contingent Framework" written together with John Quiggin

c) "The Impact of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) on Fertilizer Adoption by Smallholder Farmers: Evidence from Tigray, Northern Ethiopia" written together with Girma Berhe.

 

Presentation at the CSAE Conference, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford, Oxford 18-20th March 2018: Group Trust in Youth Business Groups: Influenced by Risk Tolerance and Expected Trustworthiness Link

Presentation at the Nordic Conference in Development Economics (NCDE 2018), Alto University, Helsinki, Finland, 11-12th June, 2018: Gender Differences in Risk Tolerance, Trust and Trustworthiness: Are They Related? Link

Contributed to Documenting Award-winning policy:

Thanks to a unique combination of collective action, voluntary labour and the involvement of young people, the people of Tigray in northern Ethipia are restoring land on a massive scale. For its remarkable achievements under harsh conditions, Tigray’s policy was recognized with the Future Policy Gold Award 2017, awarded by the World Future Council in partnership with the UNCCD. Link. Info about the award.

Youtube. Pictures from the award ceremony.

2017

Journal papers:

Holden, S. T. and Quiggin, J. (2017). Bounded awareness and anomalies in intertemporal choice: Zooming in Google Earth as both metaphor and model. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, DOI: 10.1007/s11166-017-9254-2. Link

Tadesse, M. A., Alfnes, F., Erenstein, O., Holden, S. T. (2017).  Demand for a labor-based drought insurance scheme in Ethiopia: a stated choice experiment approach. Agricultural Economics, doi: 10.1111/agec.12351. Link

Holden, S. T. and Quiggin, J. (2017). Climate risk and state-contingent technology adoption: shocks, drought tolerance and preferences. European Review of Agricultural Economics 44 (2): 285–308. doi: 10.1093/erae/jbw016. Link

Working papers:

Legesse, B., Shively, G. E. and Holden, S. T. (2017). Food for Work and Diet Diversity in Ethiopia. CLTS Working Paper No. 14/2017. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2017). Group Trust in Youth Business Groups: Influenced by Risk Tolerance and Expected Trustworthiness. CLTS Working Paper No. 13/2017. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Katengeza, S. P., Holden, S. T. and Fisher, M. (2017). Adoption of Soil Fertility Management Technologies in Malawi: Impact of Drought Exposure. CLTS Working Paper No. 11/2017. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link.

Gebru, M., Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2017). Can the land rental market facilitate smallholder commercialization? Evidence from northern Ethiopia. CLTS Working Paper No. 10/2017. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Holden, S. T. (2017). Policies for Improved Food Security: - The Roles of Land Tenure Policies and Land Markets. CLTS Working Paper No. 9/2017. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Holden, S. T. and Quiggin, J. (2017). Probability Weighting and Input Use Intensity in a State-Contingent Framework. CLTS Working Paper No. 8/2017. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Fisher, M., Holden, S. T. and Katengeza, S. P. (2017). Adoption of CA technologies among Followers of Lead Farmers: How Strong is the Influence from Lead Farmers? CLTS Working Paper No. 7/2017. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Araya, G. B. and Holden, S. T. (2017). Is Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program Enhancing Dependency? CLTS Working Paper No. 5/2017. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Katengeza, S. P., Holden, S. T. and Lunduka, R. W. (2017). Adoption of Drought Tolerant Maize Varieties under Rainfall Stress in Malawi. CLTS Working Paper No. 4/2017. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2017). Land Distribution in Northern Ethiopia from 1998 to 2016: Gender-disaggregated, Spatial and Intertemporal Variation. CLTS Working Paper No. 3/2017. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Holden, S. T. and Tilahun, M. (2017). The importance of Ostrom's design principles: Youth group performance in Northern Ethiopia. CLTS Working Paper No. 2/2017. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Fisher, M., Holden, S. T. and Katengeza, S. P. (2017). The adoption potential of Conservation Agriculture technologies in Malawi: A lead farmer promoter-adopter approach and assessment. CLTS Working Paper No. 1/2017. Centre for Land Tenure Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway. Link

Deininger, K., Xia, F. and Holden, S. T.(2017). Gender-differentiated impacts of tenure insecurity on agricultural performance in Malawi's customary tenure systems. World Bank Policy Research Paper No. WPS7943. Link

Conference presentations

Presentation at the 12th Nordic Conference in Behavioral and Experimental Economics in Gothenburg October 6-7th October 2017: Group Trust in Youth Business Groups: Influenced by Risk Tolerance and Expected Trustworthiness Link

Presentation at the Nordic Conference in Development Economics at Gothenburg University, 12-13. June 2017: Subjective Probability Weighting and Input Use Intensity. Powerpoint Paper Link

Presentation at the SEEDEC conference at University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK, 20-21. April 2017: Exchange Asymmetries in Productive Assets: Tools, Fertilizer or Cash? Link

Presentations (joint papers with Mesfin Tilahun) at the Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty in Washington, DC on 20th-24th March, 2017: 

• The Importance of Ostrom's Design Principles: Youth Group Performance in Northern Ethiopia. Link
• Land distribution in Noerthern Ethiopia from 1998 to 2016: Gender-disaggregated, Spatial and Intertemporal Variation. Link

I presented the paper

• Bounded awareness and anomalies in intertemporal choice: Google Earth as metaphor and model,

coauthored with John Quiggin at the 39th Annual Meeting of the Norwegian Association of Economists, at Oslo Business School, January 3-4, 2017.