Skip to content

About me

I am a development economist specializing in environmental risks. My research quantifies the economic impacts of natural disasters and evaluates how government policies and market instruments can reduce vulnerability to climate change. I use methods from applied microeconomics, climate science, and statistical learning to inform adaptation efforts, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Contact

University icon Maurice R. Greenberg School of Risk Sciences
J. Mack Robinson College of Business
Georgia State University

Location icon 35 Broad Street NW, Office 1141
Atlanta, GA 30303

Email icon adelvalle@gsu.edu


Journal articles published and forthcoming

New: M. Eriksson, A. del Valle, A. de la Fuente (2025) Droughts worsen air quality and health by shifting power generationNature Communications16 4774.

An earlier version of this paper has been circulated under the title: Droughts Worsen Air Quality by Shifting Power Generation in Latin America and the Caribbean Policy Research working paper; no. WPS 10760; PLANET Washington, D.C.: World Bank Group.

Media coverage: PreventionWeb, MSN.com, ScienMag, Bioengineer, Futurity, Phys.org, Nipponese.news

Drought-induced air pollution deaths could reach 30,000 annually by 2059 without policy action.
Deep dive (English)
Deep dive (Español)

Indexed disaster funds can prevent 75% of post-disaster excess deaths.
Deep dive (English)
Deep dive (Español)

A. del Valle (2024), Saving Lives with Indexed Disaster Funds: Evidence from Mexico,  American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 16 (2) 442-479.

An earlier version of this paper has been circulated under the title: Saving Lives with Pre-Financed Rules-Based Disaster Aid: Evidence from Mexico, medRxiv

Media coverage: The New York Times (Live),The New York Times (Print Editon), The New York Times (in Spanish),  VoxDev


A. del Valle, T. Scharlemann & S. Shore (2024), Household Financial Decision-Making After Natural Disasters: Evidence from Hurricane HarveyJournal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 59 (5) 2459-2485.

An earlier version of this paper has been circulated under the title: Household Financial Behavior After Hurricane Harvey, Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2022-015. Washington: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
Households make sophisticated financial decisions after disasters, borrowing strategically at low rates and repaying quickly.
Deep dive (English)

Public health insurance prevented women from dropping out of the workforce by protecting their families’ health. 
Deep dive (English)
Deep dive (Español)

A. Del Valle (2021) The Effects of Public Health Insurance in Labor Markets with Informal Jobs: Evidence from Mexico, Journal of Health Economics, 77 (C) 102454.

An earlier version of this paper has been circulated under the title: From caring to work: the labor market effects of noncontributory health insurance.

Awards: Third Prize Inter-American Development Bank Research in Social Security Award

Media coverage: VoxEU and World Economic Forum 


Indexed disaster funds substantially accelerate economic recovery after disasters.
Deep dive (English)
Deep dive (Español)

Wide mangrove belts mitigate the economic impact of hurricanes.
Deep dive (English)
Deep dive (Español)

A. Del Valle, M. Eriksson, O. A. Ishizawa & J. J. Miranda (2020) Mangroves Protect Coastal Economic Activity from HurricanesProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117 (1) 265-270.

An earlier version of this paper has been circulated under the title: Mangroves for Coastal Protection: Evidence from Hurricanes in Central America, World Bank Policy Research working paper 8795

Media coverage: CNN, GristThe Science Breaker


A. Del Valle, R. Elliot, E. Strobl & M. Tong (2018). The Short-Term Economic Impact of Tropical Cyclones: Satellite Evidence from Guangdong Province, Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, 2 (3) 225-235.

Typhoons decrease economic activity, but only in the short run.
Deep dive (English)

Other Publications

M. Browne, A. Del Valle, E. Jimenez, C. Turvey (2022) Introduction to the Special issue of Risk Considerations and Insurance in Developing Countries, Geneva Risk and Insurance Review. 


Currently teaching

Empirical Methods in Risk and Insurance  (RMI 9020)

PhD level metrics class focused on empirical methods used in economics.

Predictive Risk Modeling (RMI 4990)

Undergraduate level statistical learning class with applications in risk and insurance problems.

Managerial Economics  (MBA 8000)

Graduate level microeconomics class focused on the firm and market structures.

Office hours by appointment check class website for booking instructions (access class website).