
Dr. Zoë T. Plakias
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics
(The) Ohio State University
Faculty Affiliate
Professional Leadership
Executive Leadership Board member, STEAM Factory
Co-Lead, Racial Justice Pathways Project
VP of Communications, Food Distribution Research Society
Current Research Areas
Evaluating Food System Investments + Innovations
Some of the questions I'm interested in:
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How can we build a food system of the future that's better for all people and the environment?
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What scales of food system activities (local, regional, national, global) are optimal and in what situations?
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Are food system innovations and investments always meeting their intended goals? If not, how can we improve?
Evaluating Food + Agricultural Policy
Some of the questions I'm interested in:
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Are food and agricultural policies having their intended effects?
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What are the unintended consequences of food and agricultural policies?
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What kinds of policies will increase food system resilience to shocks?
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How can food and agricultural polices better support marginalized people?
Exploring the role of Democracy in Food Systems
Some of the questions I'm interested in:
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What is the role of democratic organizations (e.g., cooperatives) in food systems?
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Can democratic organizations in food systems help address food system stakeholder concerns?
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What are the opportunities and challenges for democratic organizations and participation in food systems?
Reflecting on the Work of Higher Education
Some of the questions I'm interested in:
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What pedagogical techniques are most effective for teaching about food and agricultural economics?
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How do we alleviate disparities in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, and institutional type in how we do our work as applied economists?
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What are the most effective models for interdisciplinary research and outreach to address wicked problems?
Publications + Working Papers
Working paper (Invited chapter for the Handbook of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 6, edited by Chris Barrett and David Just, in review)
Interdisciplinary System and network Perspectives in Food and Agricultural Economics [REQuest Manuscript]
Authors: Chyi-Lyi (Kathleen) Liang and Zoë Plakias
Most recent version: 2022
Working paper (Invited chapter for the Handbook of Cooperatives and Mutuals, edited by Matthew Elliott and Mike Boland, in review)
Consumer CooperativeS: Purpose and Possibilities [REQuest Manuscript]
Authors: Zoë Plakias and Jason Scott Entsminger
Most recent version: 2021
Working paper (Revise + resubmit at Agribusiness)
Local Ice Cream Makes Life Sweeter: A Structural Model of Consumer Preference for Local Processed Foods [REQuest Manuscript]
Authors: Xiao Dong, H. Allen Klaiber, and Zoë T. Plakias
Most recent version: 2021
Peer-reviewed journal article
Past, Present, and Future: Status of Women and Minority Faculty in Agricultural and Applied Economics [view Article]
Journal: Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy
Authors: Jana Hilsenroth, Anna Josephson, Kelly Grogan, Lurleen Walters, Zoë Plakias, Leah Palm-Forster, Simanti Banerjee, and Tara Wade
Publication year: 2021
Peer-reviewed journal article
ON THE Money: Characterizing Banking and Lending in the California Cannabis Industry [VIEW ARTICLE]
Journal: Agricultural Finance Review
Authors: Zoë Plakias, Margaret Jodlowski, Taylor Giamo, Parisa Kavousi, and Keith Taylor
Publication year: 2021
Working paper (Accepted at Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems)
Which Schools Receive State-Level Support for Local Food Purchases?
Authors: Jeff O'Hara, Becca Jablonski, and Zoë Plakias
Most recent version: 2021
Peer-reviewed journal article
Measuring the Welfare Impacts of Local Food Sourcing by Institutions: A Cost-Benefit Analysis Approach [VIEW ARTICLE]
Journal: Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development
Authors: Zoë Plakias
Publication year: 2021
Peer-reviewed journal article
Short Value Chain Models of Healthy Food Access: A Qualitative Study of Two Approaches [VIEW ARTICLE]
Journal: Nutrients
Authors: Kathleen Krzyzanowski Guerra, Drew Hanks, Zoë T. Plakias, Susie Huser, Tom Redfern, and Jennifer Garner
Publication year: 2021
Working paper
Healthy Food, Healthy Farms? Implications of Healthy Food Policies for Agricultural Value Chains [REQuest Manuscript]
Authors: Zoë T. Plakias, Seung-hun Chung, and Lei Xu
Most recent version: 2021
Peer-reviewed journal article
Increasing Student Engagement with Agriculture in a Changing Academic Environment [VIEW ARTICLE]
Journal: Applied Economics Teaching Resources
Authors: Kristin Kiesel, Na Zuo, Zoë Plakias, Luis Moises Peña-Lévano, Andrew Barkley, Katherine Lacy, Erik Hanson, and Julianne Treme
Publication year: 2020
Peer-reviewed journal article
Lean on your Land Grant: One University's approach to address Food Supply Chain Workforce during the COVID-19 Pandemic [VIEW ARTICLE]
Journal: Journal of Agromedicine
Authors: Dee S. Jepsen, Lisa Pfeifer, Lyda Garcia, Zoë Plakias, Shoshanah Inwood, Joy Rumble, Mary Rodriguez, Judit Puskas, and Sam Custer
Publication year: 2020
Peer-reviewed journal article
Tradeoffs in Farm to School Implementation: Larger Foodsheds Drive GREATER Local Food Expenditures [VIEW ARTICLE]
Journal: Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics
Authors: Zoë Plakias, H. Allen Klaiber and Brian E. Roe
Publication year: 2020
Working paper
The Mexican PROCAMPO Farmland Subsidy and Its Effectiveness as a Rural Anti-Poverty Program [REQuest Manuscript]
Authors: Ariadna Martínez González, Zoë Plakias and Mark Partridge
Most recent version: 2019
Peer-reviewed journal article
Terminated marketing order provided resources to California Peach and Nectarine Growers [View article]
Journal: California Agriculture
Authors: Zoë Plakias, Rachael E. Goodhue and Jeffrey Williams
Publication year: 2020
Peer-reviewed journal article
Direct Marketing Channel Choices Among U.S. Farmers: Evidence from the Local Food Marketing Practices Survey [VIEW article]
Journal: Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems
Authors: Zoë Plakias, Iryna Demko and Ani L. Katchova
Publication year: 2019
Outreach publication
The Economic Contribution of Agricultural and Food Production to the Ohio Economy [VIEW REPORT]
Format: Peer-reviewed department-published research report
Authors: Janice DiCarolis, Tim Haab, Zoë Plakias, Ian Sheldon, Brent Sohngen, and Kelli Trinoskey
Publication year: 2017
Outreach publication
Growers’ Assessments of Challenges Facing the California Rice Industry: Past and Present [VIEW article]
Journal: ARE Update
Authors: Zoë Plakias and Rachael E. Goodhue
Publication year: 2016
Working paper
Optimal Licensing for Public Intellectual Property: Theory and Application to Plant Variety Patents [REQuest Manuscript]
Authors: Zoë Plakias and Julian Alston
Most recent version: 2015
Peer-reviewed journal article
Producer Heterogeneity and Voting Power in Mandatory US Agricultural Marketing Organisations [VIEW article]
Journal: European Review of Agricultural Economics
Authors: Zoë Plakias and Rachael E. Goodhue
Publication year: 2015
Working paper
The Evolution of the California Blueberry Industry: A Social Network Analysis Approach [REQuest Manuscript]
Authors: Zoë Plakias
Most recent version: 2014
Outreach publication
Old Dog, New Tricks: The Changing Role of California’s Agricultural Marketing Organizations [VIEW article]
Journal: ARE Update
Authors: Zoë Plakias
Publication year: 2013
Teaching + Advising
AEDECON 2001: Principles of Food + Resource Economics
Spring Semester
This course serves as an introduction to microeconomics, with an emphasis on food and resource topics. It is a lecture-based course, with in-class activities and additional opportunities for class participation using online tools. This course is open to any undergraduates except those who've taken AEDECON 2001H or ECON 2001 and serves as a Social Sciences GE course (Human, Natural, and Economic Resources category). It is also a required course for the Agricultural and Applied Economics and EEDS majors.
AEDE 8203: Foundations and Frontiers of aGricultural and food system Economics
Spring Semester
This half-semester PhD course covers foundational theories and concepts in agricultural and food system economics that remain relevant today and contemporary applied research and methods that draws on these foundations. Open to students who have taken PhD-level Microeconomic Theory and PhD-level Econometrics, or by permission of instructor.
eEob 5194: Interdisciplinary TEam Science
Fall Semester
This team-designed, team-taught course for graduate students is new in 2021. Designed by a team of faculty across disciplines and colleges at Ohio State, it provides students with core professional development skills to enable them to be more effective members and leaders of large team science projects. In the modules, I lead we discuss Leadership, Building Scientific Teams, and Meeting Facilitation using a combination of lecture, discussion, and small group activities exploring scenarios and cases motivated by real issues in Team Science. This course is open to undergraduate and graduate students.
Undergraduate + Graduate Advising
Year-round
I currently advise PhD Student Lei Xu and serve on the dissertation committee for PhD Student Angie Liu. I also employ PhD Candidate Jonathan Siegle and am advising undergraduate student Jillian Horan's Honors Project. I advise undergraduate students in the Agribusiness and Applied Economics major and lead the department's PhD job market preparation activities. If you are a current or aspiring undergraduate or graduate student, don't hesitate to contact me about opportunities!

When I'm not working you might find me...
OUTside Hiking OR SAILING
Views of Mt. Baker from the deck of the S/V Hawaiian Chieftain
Strait of Juan de Fuca
Canada/US border
