Bryan Leonard, Ph.D.

Bryan Leonard is an associate professor and SER Chair at the University of Wyoming with a dual appointment in the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources and the School of Energy Resources. Professor Leonard's research explores the efficiency and equity implications of different institutional responses to resource allocation problems, focusing on land, water, and energy resources.  He studies the historical context of policies that are crafted to solve resource challenges at a particular point in time and assess their long-run sustainability using an interdisciplinary approach that builds on his background in economics in collaboration with legal scholars, political theorists, and natural scientists. He is especially interested in the conditions under which property rights and markets perform better or worse than other institutions.

Much of professor Leonard's research can be parsed into three cross-cutting themes: i) tradeoffs between economic efficiency and other goals (such as equity) when designing policy; ii) the relationship between property rights and collective action problems; and iii) the modern challenges and historical foundations of public resource management in the American West. By studying the contemporary legacy of past policies, his research informs the design of institutions to solve pressing resource challenges today.