Sulagna Sarkar

Address: 2721 Luther Drive. Telephone: (515) 509-6419

Apt 5 Date of Birth: 04/10/1986
Ames, IA 50010 Email: sulagna@iastate.edu

Education:
2016: PhD (Expected) in Economics, Iowa State University
Major Professor: Dr. Dermot Hayes
2009: MS in Quantitative Economics, Indian Statistical Institute,
Kolkata
2007: BS (Hons) in Economics, Calcutta University, India

Interested in:
Panel data analysis, fractional response modeling, risk management, policy evaluation,
treatment effects, agricultural insurance, behavioral economics
Dissertation Research:
The Federal Crop Insurance Program has undergone several changes in the past decade.
The subsidy structure has been revised for the basic insurance plans, and the contracts
have been modified, grouped together and renamed, with new policy choices being
introduced. My objective is to study the choice of crop insurance policies and coverage
levels by US corn farmers over time, look for geographic patterns in choice, and find the
factors that significantly affect this choice. Contrary to traditional economic theory,
farmers do not choose the highest coverage levels always (which have the highest rate of
subsidy), even though premium rates are actuarially fair. This is both inconsistent with
expected profit/utility maximization, and expected subsidy maximization objectives. The
endeavor is to find a theoretical justification and an econometric model that explains this
choice, taking into account farmer’s response to climate shocks (like drought) and market
risks, and make meaningful policy recommendations. Given the importance of crop
insurance in the Federal Farm Bill, these questions have become especially important.
Conference Presentations:

• “Geographic Patterns in the Choice of Crop Insurance by Corn Farmers in the US,
from 2007 – 2013”, Agriculture and Applied Economics Association’s Annual
Meeting, July 2014
• “Embracing Conventional Economic Irrationalities in Crop Insurance Policy”,
MVEA Annual Meeting, 2015
• Heartland Environmental and Resource Economics Annual Workshop, 2011
Selected Fellowships and Awards:
• Indian Statistical Institute Fellow, 2007-2009
• FOCUS grant, Iowa State University, 2013
• Award for graduating with the highest marks from Scottish Church College, 2007

Work Experience:

2015: Research Assistant at Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) Institute,
Iowa State University.
Job Description: Researcher and data analyst on multiple projects
• Analyze CGS survey data of ISU graduate students, regarding student
debt, financial attitudes and behaviors, financial stress, demographics, etc.
to model the effect of financial stress on academic choices and
performance, and evaluate the effectiveness of financial counselling
efforts
• Analyze data from the National Student Financial Wellness Study
(NSFWS) on US undergraduate student’s attitude towards debt, perceived
stress from debt, and policy implications
• Provide data-driven reports and presentations

2014-15: Adjunct Faculty at Drake University, Des Moines, IA

Courses: International Economics, Principles of Microeconomics, Principles of
Macroeconomics
2013-14: Adjunct Faculty at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC)
Courses: Principles of Macroeconomics, Principles of Microeconomics

2009-13: Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Economics, ISU

2008: Summer Job of assisting a research project undertaken by the Yale
University, on household sewage systems in India, with household-level
data from the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) of India.

Software: Stata, R, ArcGIS, Excel

Extracurricular:
• Treasurer of the Economic Graduate Students Association (EGSA) at Iowa State,
2013
• GPSS student representative at the Iowa State University Performance Arts Council,
2014, 2015
• Authored and directed an adaptation of the works of Edgar Allan Poe on stage at ISU,
in a project funded by the FOCUS grant for Artists
• Received a Certificate of Merit for Community Service in organizing efforts to help
flood victims in Bengal.