Paul's research interests are primarily in the areas of urban and environmental economics and policy. Topics of recent and current research include study of interactions among urban amenities (local public goods) and residential development patterns, estimates of the values of urban amenities using data from house sales and stated choice surveys, and studies of variation in stated and revealed preferences for household energy-efficiency retrofits. Paul's teaching interests are in applied microeconomics, urban economics, and environmental economics.
Selected publications
Thorsnes, Paul, Robert Alexander and David Kidson (2015), “Low-income housing in high-amenity areas: Long-run effects on residential development,” Urban Studies, 52(2): 261-278.
Thorsnes, Paul and Tim Bishop (2013) “The value of basic building code insulation,” Energy Economics, 37: 68-81.
Thorsnes, Paul, John Williams and Rob Lawson (2012), "Consumer responses to time varying prices for electricity," Energy Policy, 49(1): 552-561.
Moore, Terry and Paul Thorsnes, with Bruce Appleyard (2007), The Transportation/Land Use Connection, Chicago: American Planning Association.
Thorsnes, Paul and John Reifel (2007), "Tiebout dynamics: Neighbourhood response to a central-city/suburban house-price differential," Journal of Regional Science, 47(4): 693-719.
McMillen, Daniel P. and Paul Thorsnes (2006), "Housing renovations and the quantile repeat sales price index", Real Estate Economics, 34(4): 567-584.
McMillen, Daniel P. and Paul Thorsnes (2003). "The aroma of Tacoma: Time varying average derivatives and the effect of a Superfund site on housing prices," Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, Vol. 21(2), pp. 237-246.
Thorsnes, Paul (2002), "The value of a suburban forest preserve: Estimates from sales of vacant residential building lots," Land Economics, Vol. 78(3), pp. 426-441.
Thorsnes, Paul (2000). "Internalizing neighbourhood externalities: The effect of subdivision size and zoning on residential lot prices," Journal of Urban Economics, Vol. 48, pp. 397-418.
Thorsnes, Paul and Daniel P. McMillen (1998). "Land value and parcel size: A semiparametric analysis," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Vol. 17, pp. 233-244.
Thorsnes, Paul (1997). "Consistent estimates of the elasticity of substitution between land and non-land inputs in the production of housing," Journal of Urban Economics, Vol. 42, pp. 98-108.
Moore, A., Nguyen, Q., Diaz-Rainey, I., Cox, S., Bodeker, G., & Thorsnes, P. E. (2022). Modelling the effect of climate change-related flooding hazards (CCRFH) on coastal residential property values. Proceedings of the New Zealand Geospatial Research Conference (NZGRC). Retrieved from https://geocollaboratory.massey.ac.nz/new-zealand-geospatial-research-conference-2022
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Nguyen, Q., Thorsnes, P. E., Diaz-Rainey, I., Moore, A., Cox, S., & Stirk-Wang, L. (2022). Price recovery after the flood: Risk to residential property values from climate change-related flooding. Australian Journal of Agricultural & Resource Economics, 66, 532-560. doi: 10.1111/1467-8489.12471
Journal - Research Article
Nguyen, Q., Diaz-Rainey, I., Moore, T., Thorsnes, P., Cox, S., McKenzie, L., & Stirk-Wang, L. (2019). Risk to residential property values from climate change-related flooding hazards: A mixed methods approach. SSRN. 71p. Retrieved from https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3489445
Working Paper; Discussion Paper; Technical Report
Thorsnes, P., Lawson, R., & Stephenson, J. (2017). Household preferences for energy efficient space and water heating systems [Economics Discussion Papers No. 1713]. Dunedin, New Zealand: School of Business, University of Otago. 38p. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10523/7793
Working Paper; Discussion Paper; Technical Report
Stirk-Wang, L., & Thorsnes, P. (2017). Geographic variation in intra-city house price appreciation over the boom-bust cycle: Evidence from Auckland, NZ [Economics Discussion Papers No. 1714]. Dunedin, New Zealand: School of Business, University of Otago. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10523/7795
Working Paper; Discussion Paper; Technical Report
Thorsnes, P. (2016, July). Helping householders choose: Variation in preferences for aspects of energy-efficiency improvements. Verbal presentation at the Energy Cultures Conference: Sustainable Energy Futures: Understanding Behaviour and Supporting Transitions, Wellington, New Zealand.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Stephenson, J., Barton, B., Carrington, G., Hopkins, D., Lavelle, M. J., Lawson, R., … Scott, M., Thorsnes, P., Walton, S., & Wooliscroft, B. (2016). Energy Cultures policy briefs. Dunedin, New Zealand: Centre for Sustainability, University of Otago. 26p. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10523/7104
Commissioned Report for External Body
Chhun, S., Kahui, V., Moller, H., & Thorsnes, P. (2015). Advancing marine policy toward ecosystem-based management by eliciting public preferences. Marine Resource Economics, 30(3), 261-275. doi: 10.1086/681052
Journal - Research Article
Stephenson, J., Barton, B., Carrington, G., Doering, A., Ford, R., Hopkins, D., Lawson, R., McCarthy, A., … Scott, M., Thorsnes, P., Walton, S., Williams, J., & Wooliscroft, B. (2015). The energy cultures framework: Exploring the role of norms, practices and material culture in shaping energy behaviour in New Zealand. Energy Research & Social Science, 7, 117-123. doi: 10.1016/j.erss.2015.03.005
Journal - Research Article
Thorsnes, P., Alexander, R., & Kidson, D. (2015). Low-income housing in high-amenity areas: Long-run effects on residential development. Urban Studies, 52(2), 261-278. doi: 10.1177/0042098014528999
Journal - Research Article
Smith, I. J., Bishop, T. W., Wakes, S., Thorsnes, P., Callau, M. F., Lloyd, R., & Carruthers, M. A. (2015). Energy efficiency retrofits of older houses: will these result in an energy transition? Proceedings of the Otago Energy Research Centre (OERC) Symposium. (pp. 11). Retrieved from http://www.otago.ac.nz/oerc/
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Hansen, P., Kergozou, N., Knowles, S., & Thorsnes, P. (2014). Developing countries in need: Which characteristics appeal most to people when donating money? Journal of Development Studies, 50(11), 1494-1509. doi: 10.1080/00220388.2014.925542
Journal - Research Article
Ford, R., Sumavsky, O., Clarke, A., & Thorsnes, P. (2014). Personalized energy priorities: A user-centric application for energy advice. In A. Marcus (Ed.), Design, user experience, and usability: User experience design for everyday life applications and services: Lecture notes in computer science (Vol. 8519). (pp. 542-553). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. [Full Paper]
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper
Hansen, P., Kergozou, N., Knowles, S., & Thorsnes, P. (2014). Developing countries in need: Which characteristics appeal most to people when donating money? Proceedings of the 7th Annual Otago International Health Research Network (OIHRN) Conference. (pp. 10). Retrieved from http://dnmeds.otago.ac.nz/departments/psm/research/international_hlth/conference/index.html
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Chhun, S., Thorsnes, P., & Moller, H. (2013). Preferences for management of near-shore marine ecosystems: A choice experiment in New Zealand. Resources, 2(3), 406-438. doi: 10.3390/resources2030406
Journal - Research Article
Thorsnes, P., & Bishop, T. (2013). The value of basic building code insulation. Energy Economics, 37, 68-81. doi: 10.1016/j.eneco.2013.02.001
Journal - Research Article
Barton, B., Blackwell, S., Carrington, G., Ford, R., Lawson, R., Stephenson, J., Thorsnes, P., & Williams, J. (2013). Energy cultures: Implications for policymakers. Dunedin, New Zealand: Centre for Sustainability, University of Otago. 37p.
Commissioned Report for External Body
Hansen, P., Kergozou, N., Knowles, S., & Thorsnes, P. (2013). Developing countries in need: Which characteristics appeal most to people when donating money? [Economics Discussion Papers No. 1312]. Dunedin, New Zealand: School of Business, University of Otago. 32p.
Working Paper; Discussion Paper; Technical Report
Thorsnes, P., Williams, J., & Lawson, R. (2012). Consumer responses to time varying prices for electricity. Energy Policy, 49, 552-561. doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2012.06.062
Journal - Research Article
Chhun, S., Moller, H., Thorsnes, P., & Kahui, V. (2012). Public and ethnic preferences and values of marine ecosystem attributes: Results from a choice experiment in Aotearoa New Zealand. Proceedings of the New Zealand Geographical Society Conference: 'Connecting Landscapes'. (pp. 36). Retrieved from http://www.nzgs.co.nz/
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Grieve, C., Henry, J., Lawson, R., & Thorsnes, P. (2011). Understanding resistance to the adoption of energy efficient technologies. In A. Patterson & S. Oakes (Eds.), Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Conference (AM): Marketing Fields Forever. Liverpool, UK: Academy of Marketing. Retrieved from https://marketing.conference-services.net/programme.asp?conferenceID=2342
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper
Stephenson, J., Lawson, R., Carrington, G., Barton, B., & Thorsnes, P. (2011). Energy cultures: A framework for interdisciplinary research. In B. Moshfegh (Ed.), Proceedings of the World Renewable Energy Congress. (pp. 1023-1030). Linköping, Sweden: Linköping University Electronic Press. [Full Paper]
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper
Thorsnes, P., & Lawson, R. (2011). Household preferences for energy efficient space and water heating systems. Proceedings of the 34th Institutions, Efficiency and Evolving Energy Technologies (IAEE) International Conference. Retrieved from http://www.hhs.se/IAEE-2011/Program/Pages/default.aspx
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Carrington, G., Lawson, R., Thorsnes, P., Barton, B., & Stephenson, J. (2011, November). Research highlights from energy cultures. Verbal presentation at the Otago Energy Research Centre (OERC) Symposium: Futures & Prospects, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Lawson, R., Thorsnes, P., & Williams, J. (2011). Consumer response to time varying prices for electricity [Economics Discussion Papers: No. 1116]. Dunedin, New Zealand: School of Business, University of Otago. 23p.
Working Paper; Discussion Paper; Technical Report
Thorsnes, P., Alexander, R., & Kidson, D. (2011). Low-income housing in high-amenity areas: Long-run impacts on residential development [Economics Discussion Papers: No. 1115]. Dunedin, New Zealand: School of Business, University of Otago. 36p.
Working Paper; Discussion Paper; Technical Report
Thorsnes, P., Lawson, R., & Williams, J. (2011, August). Is it time for time-of-use electricity pricing? EcoNZ@Otago, 27, 4-6. Retrieved from http://www.business.otago.ac.nz/econ/econz/. [Other Research Output].
Other Research Output
Stephenson, J., Barton, B., Carrington, G., Gnoth, D., Lawson, R., & Thorsnes, P. (2010). Energy cultures: A framework for understanding energy behaviours. Energy Policy, 38, 6120-6129. doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2010.05.069
Journal - Research Article
Stephenson, J., Lawson, R., Carrington, G., Barton, B., Thorsnes, P., & Mirosa, M. (2010). The practice of interdisciplinarity. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, 5(7), 271-282.
Journal - Research Article
Stephenson, J., Lawson, R., Carrington, G., Barton, B., & Thorsnes, P. (2010). Energy cultures: A framework for interdisciplinary research. Proceedings of the Otago Energy Research Centre (OERC) Symposium: Energy Future. Retrieved from http://www.otago.ac.nz/oerc/
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Stephenson, J., Lawson, R., Carrington, G., Barton, B., & Thorsnes, P. (2010). The practice of interdisciplinarity: A framework for interdisciplinary research. Proceedings of the International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences. Retrieved from http://thesocialsciences.com/conference-2010/sessions/
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Stephenson, J., Lawson, R., Carrington, G., Barton, B., & Thorsnes, P. (2010, August). The practice of interdisciplinarity: A framework for interdisciplinary research. Plenary presentation at the International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Cambridge, UK.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Lawson, R., Williams, J. & Thorsnes, P. (2010, May). The effect of variable pricing of electricity on consumption by households. University of Otago Department of Marketing Seminar Series, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Department Seminar].
Other Research Output
Thorsnes, P. (2009, April). Household response to time-of-use electricity pricing in Auckland. Verbal presentation at the National Energy Research Institute Second Energy Research Conference: NERI'09, Wellington, New Zealand.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Thorsnes, P. (2009, February). It's all bright here! Sunshine and insulation in Dunedin houses. EcoNZ@Otago, 22, 4-6. Retrieved from http://www.business.otago.ac.nz/econ/econz. [Other Research Output].
Other Research Output
Thorsnes, P., & Reifel, J. W. (2007). Tiebout dynamics: Neighbourhood response to a central-city/suburban house-price differential. Journal of Regional Science, 47(4), 693-719.
Journal - Research Article
Thorsnes, P., & Flack, N. (2007, February). Big cities, small cities: Which grow faster? EcoNZ@Otago, 18, 7-9. Retrieved from http://www.business.otago.ac.nz/econ/econz. [Other Research Output].
Other Research Output
McMillen, D. P., & Thorsnes, P. (2006). Housing renovations and the quantile repeat-sales price index. Real Estate Economics, 34(4), 567-584.
Journal - Research Article
Thorsnes, P. E., & White, A. (2005). Business start-ups in New Zealand: Regional effects on sub-regional turnover rates. Proceedings of the North American Regional Science Association 52nd Annual Conference. Las Vegas, NV: Blackwell. [Abstract]
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
McMillen, D. P., & Thorsnes, P. (2005). Housing renovations and the Quantile Repeat Sales Price Index. Economics Discussion Papers, no.0515. Dunedin, New Zealand: Department of Economics, University of Otago. 22p.
Working Paper; Discussion Paper; Technical Report
Thorsnes, P. E., & Reifel, J. (2005). Tiebout dynamics: A small-area study of the response to a central-city / suburban house-price differential. Economics Discussion Papers, no.0514. Dunedin, New Zealand: Department of Economics, University of Otago. 39p.
Working Paper; Discussion Paper; Technical Report
Thorsnes, P. (2004, July). Who will pay? The curious case of a new tax on Central Otago land. EcoNZ@Otago, (13), 9-11. Retrieved from http://www.business.otago.ac.nz/econ/econz. [Other Research Output].
Other Research Output
McMillen, D. P., & Thorsnes, P. (2003). The aroma of Tacoma: Time-varying average derivatives and the effect of a superfund site on house prices. Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, 21(2), 237-246.
Journal - Research Article
Thorsnes, P. (2002). The value of a suburban forest preserve: Estimates from sales of vacant residential building lots. Land Economics, 78(3), 426-441.
Journal - Research Article
Thorsnes, P., & Denning, R. (2002, November). Allocating space to nature in suburbia: Zoning, land development, and the market in development rights. Verbal presentation at the 49th Annual North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Thorsnes, P. (2000). Internalizing neighborhood externalities: The effect of subdivision size and zoning on residential lot prices. Journal of Urban Economics, 48(3), 397-418.
Journal - Research Article
