Ryan Blake Williams, Ph.D.  

Associate Professor of Economics & Public Policy
Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine

Ongoing Research

I am an applied microeconomist generally interested in applying microeconomic theory and advanced statistical methodologies to answer research questions of societal value. I believe that society benefits from mutually beneficial exchange between free people and that markets enhance freedom and offer the best solution to improve most aspects of our world. My primary fields of research are agricultural production, the environment and natural resources, count data analysis, and optimization modeling. 

Antibiotic resistance and bovine respiratory disease. 

Student debt in professional degree programs.   

Water resources and agricultural production.

Prior Work

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Optimal livestock feed mix.

We evaluated the changes in relative price spreads between feed inputs that should trigger switching amongst those inputs, given nutritional requirements of livestock. Analysis was performed for both the dairy cow and broiler chicken industries. This was collaborative research with Othman Alqaisi, Ph.D. at Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat, Oman.



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Renewable and green electricity viability.

  • I have explored factors, including environmental attributes, that influence wind farm development.
  • The increased prevalence of wind- and solar-generated electricity has been driven, in part, by policy targets such as state renewable portfolio standards. However, the rate at which residential utility consumers have selected wind/solar electricity plans falls far short of the standards. An investigation of information nudges finds that pro-green information is effective in significantly increasing the rate at which consumers would select such a plan, and that negative information about fossil fuel generated electricity is also effective, but less so.
  • Prevalence of wind- and solar-generated electricity increases the variability of supply in the electricity market, thereby increasing price variability. A choice-based experiment was conducted in which participants were asked to choose between a green power plan and a conventional power plan. We found that increased monthly price volatility significantly decreased the likelihood of green plan selection across all average monthly price scenarios.
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Glass bottled milk.

  • A life cycle assessment was conducted for the glass milk bottle. Factors influencing situations in which plastic packaging is preferred are: transport distance, local water resource scarcity, and local electricity production method. Under most scenarios the bottles need to be capable of being reused 50% more times than is currently reasonable and the consumer would need to return the bottle nearly 100% of the time.
  • We utilized a contingent valuation survey to estimate consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for glass bottled milk to purchase at a grocery store, finding a mean WTP of 22% over the alternative. Of primary interest in this study, over half of the premium respondents were willing to pay could be accounted for by their perception that glass packaging represents a lower environmental cost.



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Stress, opportunity cost, and conflict.

What leads to a group of people being willing to rise up against an established regime? A sizeable literature suggests that high food prices create the tipping point. Work that I have been involved in counters that food insecurity is a contributing factor, but the model is more complex than that. We contend that stress of many sources impact economic decision-making such that the opportunity cost calculation associated with risky behavior creates the environment in which conflict is likely to arise.