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Hillary Sackett Taylor

Biography

Dr. Hillary Sackett-Taylor joined the WSU faculty in Fall 2012. Her academic expertise is in the field of environmental and natural resource economics. Her scholarly interests lie at the interdisciplinary intersections of sustainability, specifically with a focus on the economics and management of ecological, food, and farming systems. In her research, she employs behavioral models and experimental economic methods to understand economic decision-making and consumer preferences.

Professor Sackett-Taylor is a student-centered educator who loves working collaboratively in the classroom. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes the value of high impact practices including undergraduate research, community engagement, service-learning, experiential (project-based) learning, and study abroad/away. She approaches her work through an anti-racist and anti-colonial lens, lifting up diverse lived experiences and ways of knowing. She believes in promoting the values of intellectual curiosity, community-engaged leadership, and social justice.

Education

  • B.A. Mathematics and Statistics, Smith College

  • M.S. Agriculture, Food, and Resource Economics, Michigan State University

  • Ph.D. Agriculture, Food, and Resource Economics, Michigan State University

Courses Taught

Economics (Undergraduate)

  • ECON 101 Principles of Macroeconomics

  • ECON 102 Principles of Microeconomics

  • ECON 201 Intermediate Microeconomics

  • ECON 204 Introduction to Mathematical Economics

  • ECON 308 Behavioral Economics

  • ECON 309 Health Economics

  • ECON 318 International Economics (study abroad)

  • ECON 320 Environmental Economics

  • ECON 321 Natural Resource Economics

  • ECON 351 Special Topics in Economics: Economics and Religion

Commonwealth Honors Program (Undergraduate)

  • HNRS 101 Honors Discovery Seminar

  • HNRS 201 Intro to the Commonwealth Honors Project

  • HNRS 301 Honors Seminar: Indigenous Environmental Management

  • HNRS 301 Honors Seminar: Caring, Conscious, Community-Oriented Economics

  • HNRS 390 Honors Service Learning (study abroad)

Public Administration (Graduate)

  • PADM 630 Regional Economics of New England

Areas of Research

Applied microeconomics

Behavioral economics

Environmental and Natural Resource economics

Sustainability

Publications

Staples, A. J., Sackett-Taylor, H. M., Forgue, J., Brewer, S. B., & Sarnikar, S. (2020). A mixed methods approach to uncover common error patterns in student reasoning of supply and demand. The Journal of Economic Education, 51(3-4), 271-286. PDF Download

Sackett, H. M., & Kelley, L. (2017). Norm Sensitivity and Preferences for Credence Attributes Elicited in Experimental Auctions: The Case of Animal Welfare Information and WTP for Ice Cream. Invited Paper: Applied and Agricultural Economics Association Meeting. PDF Download

Sackett, H., Shupp, R., & Tonsor, G. (2016). Differentiating “sustainable” from “organic” and “local” food choices: Does information about certification criteria help consumers? International Journal of Food and Agricultural Economics (IJFAEC), 4(3), 17-31. PDF Download

Sackett, H., & Shupp, R. (2014). Personality and procedural invariance: Effects on bidding behavior across induced value experimental auction mechanisms. Invited Paper: Applied and Agricultural Economics Association Meeting.  PDF Download

Sackett, H. M., Shupp, R., & Tonsor, G. (2013). Consumer perceptions of sustainable farming practices: A Best-Worst scenario. Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, 42(2), 275-290. PDF Download

Sackett, H. M., Shupp, R., & Tonsor, G. (2013). Willingness to Pay for Sustainably Labeled Foods: A Measurement Comparison. Invited Paper: Applied and Agricultural Economics Association Meeting. PDF Download

Professional Service

Professor Sackett-Taylor serves as the Director of the Commonwealth Honors Program at Westfield State University and Vice President (2024-2025) of the Northeast Regional Honors Council. She considers herself a passionate advocate for honors education at public institutions.

Volunteerism

Hillary has been a volunteer coach with Girls on the Run of Western Massachusetts since 2017.

Dr. Hillary Sackett-Taylor Headshot