William S. Breffle

Contact

wsbreffl@mtu.edu
906-487-1959
Academic Office Building G019

Associate Professor of Economics, College of Business

PhD, Economics, University of Colorado at Boulder

Biography

William (Bill) Breffle is an applied microeconomist specializing in environmental economics. Prior to joining Michigan Tech, he conducted economics research at Superfund sites and has done work in 15 states for a variety of stakeholders, mainly state and federal trustees. With his practical and policy-relevant experience, Dr. Breffle routinely collaborates with students and faculty on projects.

Dr. Breffle has published more than 25 research papers and 20 technical reports. Two of his journal articles were selected for the International Library of Environmental Economics and Policy book volumes as "important and influential essays." Another publication he co-authored is listed among the top 200 "most influential" research papers in the discipline of environmental and ecological economics.

Dr. Breffle was selected in 2014 as the first-ever Props for Profs recipient after being nominated by a student for going above-and-beyond teaching duties. In 2015, Breffle was selected as a finalist for the campus-wide Distinguished Teaching Award, the University's highest teaching honor, and he was inducted into the Michigan Tech Academy of Teaching Excellence. Professor Breffle was the first economist in 27 years to be inducted by the College of Business into the business honor society Beta Gamma Sigma in 2018. In 2021, he was the first Tech economics professor to be bestowed the honor of College of Business Teacher of the Year, and in 2022 he received the College of Business Research Award.

Research Focus

The Great Lakes and their broader ecosystems help shape the industries, recreation, and culture of the people who live near them. The activities of those residents, in turn, affect the lakes and their ability to provide economic services. Dr. Breffle's research aids in the development of policy-management tools that sustain and protect the environmental and human-use services provided by these critical resources.

Teaching Interests

Environmental economics
International economics
Mathematical economics
Principles of economics

Research Interests

Non-market valuation
Discrete choice modeling
Benefit-cost analysis
Environmental sustainability

Selected Publications

Miller, M.E., W.S. Breffle, M. Battaglia, D.B., P.R. Robichaud, W.J. Elliot, R. McClusky, I.S. Miller, M. Billmire. 2022. Socio-economic impact of the rapid response erosion database (RRED). Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection 10(10):1-23.
Vonsikeo, V., W.S. Breffle, J. Apriesnig, and B. Barkdoll. 2020. The economic value of carbon sequestration through tree planting in Laos. Asian Development Policy Review 8(2):102-111.
Jin, Y., R.P. Donovan, and W.S. Breffle. 2019. Applying a Dynamic Model to Assess the Carrying Capacity of Natural Resources in the Great Lakes Environment, in Current Research in Education and Social Studies Volume 2 (R. Bag, ed.), Book Publisher International, London UK.
Dillingham, R., W.S. Breffle, and M.C. Kelly. 2018. A latent-class discrete-choice model of demand for economics electives: A case study on the challenge to increase enrollment. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education. DOI: 10.1080/08841241.2018.1426673.
Bhattu, B., B. D. Barkdoll, and W.S. Breffle. 2018. A sustainability-based socio-technical-environmental project selection. Sustainable Water Resources Management. 4(1):117-128.
Jin, Y., R.P. Donovan, and W.S. Breffle. 2016. A dynamic model to assess the carrying capacity of a defined system. Journal of Sustainable Development 9(4):151-164.
Breffle, W.S., M. Eiswerth, D. Muralidharan, and J. Thornton. 2015. Understanding how income influences willingness to pay for joint programs: A more equitable value measure for the less wealthy. Ecological Economics 109:17-25.
Wright, S., D. Muralidharan, A. Mayer, and W.S. Breffle. 2014. Using contingent valuation to estimate the willingness to pay for improved water supplies in rural Ugandan villages. Journal of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene for Development 4(3):490-498.
Breffle, W.S., D. Muralidharan, R.P. Donovan, F. Liu, A. Mukherjee, and Y. Jin. 2013. Socioeconomic evaluation of the impact of natural resource stressors on human-use services in the Great Lakes Environment: A Lake Michigan case study. Resources Policy 38:152-162.
Chestnut, L.C., R.D. Rowe, and W.S. Breffle. 2012. Economic valuation of mortality-risk reduction: stated preference estimates from the U.S. and Canada. Contemporary Economic Policy 30(3):399-416.
Breffle W.S., E.R. Morey, and J.A. Thacher. 2011. A joint latent-class model: combining Likert-scale preference statements with choice data to harvest preference heterogeneity. Environmental and Resource Economics 50:83-110.
Breffle, W. S. 2009. In pursuit of the optimal design: a guide for choice experiment practitioners. International Journal of Ecological Economics and Statistics 14(S09):3-14.
Breffle, W. S., Maroney, K. K. 2009. The restoration of fishing services and the conveyance of risk information in the southern California bight. Marine Policy 33:561-570.
Morey, E.R., W.S. Breffle, and P.A. Greene. 2008. Two Nested Constant-Elasticity-of-Substitution Models of Recreational Participation and Site Choice: An “Alternatives” Model and an “Expenditures” Model, in Revealed Preference Approaches to Environmental Valuation Volume I (J. Herriges and C. Kling, eds.), International Library of Environmental Economics and Policy, Ashgate Publishing Limited, U.K.