AxamerLizum

I am a Ph.D. candidate in Economics at the University of Wyoming, where I am expected to graduate in May 2028. My research focuses on using experimental methods to study topics in collective action problems, individual decision making under risk and uncertainty, and environmental economics.

I recieved my Masters of Science (M.S.) in Economics from the University of Wyoming in December of 2025. I received my two Bachelor’s degrees in Economics (B.S.B.A) and Risk Management & Insurance (B.S.B.A.) from Appalachian State University, where I graduated Magna Cum Laude in December 2021.

You can contact me at clubsen@uwyo.edu.

Research - Working Papers

Voluntary Public Good Provision with Heterogeneous Private Benefits

Work in progress with Todd L. Cherry and David Finnoff

Voluntary public goods provision involves individuals making decisions that consider the balance between heterogenous private benefits and collective societal benefits. This occurs in many environmental and public health contexts such as vaccination campaigns, adoption of renewable energy technologies, conservation programs, waste reduction and recycling initiatives, air quality improvement efforts, and noise pollution reduction. The level of participation determines whether a critical threshold is met for achieving impactful societal benefits. However, individual incentives to participate are heterogenous, leading to potential free-riding opportunities for individuals when a population is trying to reach a critical threshold.
The decision to contribute to such public goods depends not only on private costs and benefits but also on the structure of decision-making. Individuals may act simultaneously without knowing others' choices or sequentially. When individuals make decisions sequentially, they can observe early adopters, and this may encourage greater cooperation. Little is known about how heterogeneity in individual incentives interact with decision sequences to influence participation in voluntary public goods provision. This study examines these factors through a controlled lab experimental framework to better understand the mechanisms that drive cooperative behavior in threshold public goods settings.

Correcting Market Failures with Individual and System Level Interventions: A Solution to Strategic Uncertainty

Work in progress with Todd L. Cherry, Steffen Kallbekken , and Sofie Skjeflo

This study examines how peer comparisons and policy sequencing can shape public support for Pigouvian taxes, a key but often unpopular tool for addressing environmental externalities. While evidence from cases like the Stockholm congestion charge suggests that experience can build acceptance of such taxes, and nudges such as peer comparisons have modestly increased pro-environmental behavior, concerns remain that nudges might undermine support for more ambitious system-level policies. We test whether providing information about others’ consumption choices increases willingness to adopt a Pigouvian tax, whether a gradual approach by introducing the tax at half the optimal level before a vote on the full rate—enhances acceptance, and whether these strategies interact to strengthen overall support. By exploring the interplay of nudges and sequencing, the study contributes new experimental evidence on how integrated policy packages can overcome tax aversion and build pathways toward more effective climate policy.

Anthropogenic Noise: Visitor Behavior and Welfare Implications

Work in progress with Todd L. Cherry, and John Whitehead .

Anthropogenic noise is an increasing issue in outdoor recreation, particularly at national parks. Studies show that noise in national parks is a growing problem (Buxton et al. 2017; Chrobak 2017; Buxton et al. 2019), particularly in transportation corridors that have noise levels many times the natural level (Mennitt et al. 2014). Noise can have negative impacts on wildlife, including masking sounds that provide important signals of threats and mating. Shannon et al. (2016) documents how noise affects wildlife behavior, physiology, and fitness. Noise also impacts people. Basner et al. (2014) reports that noise not only annoys people but also contributes to health problems. In parks, even low levels of noise can diminish the benefits that people receive from experiencing nature and natural sounds (e.g., relaxation, mood, stress, etc.).
To learn more about noise in national parks, the NPS also has monitored the frequency and levels of noise across hundreds of sites for nearly three decades. In 2000, the NPS Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate established The Natural Sounds Program, which seeks to “…protect, maintain, or restore acoustical environments throughout the National Park System.” These efforts have contributed to our understanding of anthropogenic noise in national parks.
The proposed study contributes to this knowledge by studying the individual behavioral responses to anthropogenic noise and estimating the welfare impacts on visitors. We will employ methods to estimate recreational demand models that allow the estimation of welfare effects from noise in GTNP. This includes investigating the averting behavior that visitors make to mitigate the welfare loss. Previous work has considered the impact of noise on wildlife (Barber et al. 2010; Shannon et al. 2015), and to a lesser extent the impact on visitors. A particular opening in the literature is examining how anthropogenic noise impacts the behavior and benefits of visitors to national parks. This research will help fill this void.

Effective Science Communication

Work in progress with Todd L. Cherry
It is not well understood how individuals perceive the scenarios that are presented by integrated modeling. Since models are inherently built on assumptions, the scenarios predicted by the modeling is inherently conditional and therefore uncertain. This uncertainty is difficult for the general public to interpret and understand. How the uncertain scenarios are presented likely matters in the public's understanding and trust in the science. There is a need to improve science communication to the public because the public's understanding of the science matters to policy debates and decisions. This study will investigate individual behavioral tendencies surrounding alternative presentations of scenarios derived from scientific modeling. Better understanding how people interpret the scenarios will offer insights on how the scenarios can be more effectively communicated.

Roles & Teaching

University of Wyoming
Graduate Student Researcher
Aug 2022 – Present

Oversaw Experiments in the Teton Experimental Laboratory for economics research.
Research Assistant on the WYAct EPSCoR grant, helping Wyoming anticipate climate change impacts on water resources in the state.

Course Instructor
Jan 2026 - May 2026

Teaching Risk Management
Focuses on current risk management techniques applied to commercial and personal settings.
Explain the meaning of financial risk management and enterprise risk management.
Covers the major methods of handling risk (avoidance, loss prevention, loss reduction, retention, noninsurance transfer, and insurance).
Implemented “Flipped” classroom sessions following the Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, The Harvard Kennedy School, and Vanderbilt’s AdvancED guidelines.

Course Instructor
Aug 2025 - Dec 2025

Taught Computational Economics, Python Section
Focuses on how to use the python code language as a medium of analysis for Economic questions and research.
Integrated econometric analysis to expose students to the most recent developments in economics research (e.g. machine learning, synthetic control, and Principal Component Weighting/ Analysis)

Awards

Graduate Scholar of the Year 2025 - 2026

UWYO Awards List
This award is given each year to the top Economics graduate students who have excelled in teaching or research, and is decided by Economics faculty.

Presentations

University of Wyoming Student Symposium (November 2025)

Economics Graduate Student Research Symposium
Presented work on Voluntary Public Good Provision with Heterogeneous Private Benefits to the University of Wyoming Economics department and attending visitors.

Southern Economic Association (November 2025)

SEA Website
Presented work on Voluntary Public Good Provision with Heterogeneous Private Benefits to the SEA's 95th annual conference in Tampa, Florida.

Society for Risk Analysis (December 2025)

SRA Website
Presented work on Voluntary Public Good Provision with Heterogeneous Private Benefits to the SRA's annual conference in Washington, D.C.

Affiliations

The Teton Lab

The Teton Lab Website
Our research examines the interplay between individual behavior and institutions with a particular interest in environmental and natural resource policy. We blend experimental methods and environmental economics to understand how behavior is shaped by risk, inequality, choice architecture, emerging technologies, and strategic considerations. The Teton Lab's facilities include a 40-station behavioral and economic science laboratory on the campus of the University of Wyoming. In-person and virtual experiments are support by an online subject management system. Our research also benefits from the UW-NPS Research Station located on Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park.

Center for International Climate Research (CICERO)

CICERO Website
CICERO Center for International Climate Research is Norway’s foremost institute for interdisciplinary climate research.