Anouch Missirian' HDR June 09th,2026

Title: "Wild Things: Contributions to the Economics of Biodiversity" 

To attend the conference, please contact the doctoral secretariat 

Memberships are: 

• Ingela ALGER : Senior Researcher, CNRS/TSE-R Professor Referee
• Christian GOLLIER : Professor in Economics, TSE Examinateur
• Céline NAUGES : Senior Researcher, INRAE/TSE-R Rapporteure
• Eli P. FENICHEL : Professor in Economics, Yale University Rapporteur
• Ben GROOM : Professor in Economics, University of Exeter Rapporteur 

Abstract 

Biodiversity loss is staggering. But why should a cold-hearted economist care? From the drivers of current biodiversity erosion, to the solutions to halt it, to the consequences of its loss or recovery, economics has a lot to contribute to the better understanding and better management of the living fabric of our planet. This presentation and my HDR memoir present and put into perspective recent work to that end. The management of “wild things” mobilizes notions of externalities, contribution to public goods, option value, policy efficacy (among others); in this presentation, I show that besides being relevant in theory, these notions are operationalizable empirically and yield economically meaningful values in the context of biodiversity. The presentation will explain how wolves provide an ungulate-control service that benefits drivers (a so-called ecosystem service); how locusts affect child development (an ecosystem disservice) and to what extent an international effort to manage them actually delivers; and how local biodiversity may be bolstered by decentralized policymaking. Throughout, I will highlight the ecological specificities and the econometric challenges addressed, as both are vital for sound and insightful empirics.