Patrick Fleming

Patrick M FlemingAssociate Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Program Chair of Public Policy

Biography

Patrick Fleming is an environmental and agricultural economist who studies water quality, agricultural sustainability, and the evaluation of public policies intended to achieve these goals. His recent scholarship includes publications related to farm environmental policies and their effects on the Chesapeake Bay; behavioral science, legacy pollution, and strategies for landowner outreach; and survey design in the context of household environmental investments. Along with his wife, he owns and operates a 99-acre farm in Lancaster County.

Dr. Fleming teaches courses on environmental and natural resource economics, ecological economics, statistics, and public policy in relation to sustainability, poverty and human capability.

For more about Dr. Fleming's research:

Education

Ph.D., University of Maryland, 2016

M.S., University of Maryland, 2013

M.T.S., Pontifical John Paul II Institute, 2009

B.A., Washington & Lee University, 2004

Teaching

ECO/PUB 374 - Ecological Economics

ECO/PUB 371 - Poverty and Human Capability

ECO/ENE 240 - Environmental and Natural Resource Economics

ECO 210 - Economic Statistics

ECO 100 - Introduction to Economic Principles

ECO 200 - Microeconomics

Authorship

Publications

Fleming, P.M., Palm-Forster, L.H., Connuck, H.** and Fodor, A.E.**, 2025. From lab to field to farm: Applying behavioral science insights to agri-environmental programs. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, pp.3-12.

Fleming, P.M. and Savchenko, O.M., 2022. Intention versus Action: Household Adoption of Best Management Practices for Water Quality. Water Resources Research, e2021WR029684.

Fleming, P.M., Stephenson, K., Collick, A.S., and Easton, Z.M., 2022. Targeting for nonpoint source pollution reduction: A synthesis of lessons learned, remaining challenges, and emerging opportunities. Journal of Environmental Management, 308, 114649.

Savchenko, O.M., Fleming, P.M., and Zambito, K., 2021. The future of Four Creeks Farm: Scale-up, diversify, or exit? Applied Economics Teaching Resources, 3(2), 26-38.

Fleming, P.M., Palm-Forster, L.H., and Kelley, L.E., 2021. The effect of legacy pollution information on landowner investments in water quality: Lessons from economic experiments in the field and lab. Environmental Research Letters, 16(4), 045006.

Fleming, P.M., Lichtenberg, E., and Newburn, D.A., 2020. Water quality trading in the presence of conservation subsidies. Land Economics, 96(4), 552-572.

Fleming, P.M., Merritts, D.J., and Walter, R.C., 2019. Legacy sediment erosion hot spots: A cost-effective approach for targeting water quality improvements. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 74(4), 67A-73A.

Fleming, P., Lichtenberg, E., and Newburn, D., 2018. Evaluating impacts of agricultural cost sharing on water quality: Additionality, crowding in, and slippage. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 92, 1-19.

Fleming, P., 2017. Agricultural cost sharing and water quality in the Chesapeake Bay: Estimating indirect effects of environmental payments. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 99(5), 1208-1227.

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Policy Reports

鈥溾€� Easton, Z.M., K., Stephenson, A. Collick, P.M. Fleming, E. Kellner, J. Martin, M. Ribaudo, and G. Shenk. 2020. Science and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) of the Chesapeake Bay Program, Publication Number 20-002.

"" Fleming, P.M. 2019.Lancaster, PA: Water Science Institute.

Invited Commentaries

Fleming, P., 2017. The economy of a small farm: Forming a productive household in an age of specialization. Communio: International Catholic Review, 44(3).

Fleming, P., 2015. Economics, ecology, and our common home: The limits of a preference-based approach to human behavior.Communio: International Catholic Review, 42(4).

Student Collaborators

U.S. Agricultural Policy: The Economics, Politics, and Culture of Sustainable Food Systems (Sarah Earp, Spring 鈥�25);

Economic Incentives to Encourage Landowner Cooperation for Environmental Goals (Tyler O鈥橞oyle and TJ McCabe, Spring 鈥�24);

Economic Analysis of Farm-to-School Programs (Kelsi Baird, Fall 鈥�22 and Spring 鈥�23);

Landowner Outreach Strategies for Cost-Effective Stream Restorations (Galy Di Giulo and Darij Kulchyckyj, Fall 鈥�22);

Science, Economics, and Policy of Stream Restoration Practices (Ben Wright '22) (co-directed with Dorothy Merritts and Bob Walter)

Economic Analysis of Local Food Systems (Bennett Wasch '23, Kelsi Baird '23, Bharat Choudhary '22, Crew Fullerton '22)

Food and Agriculture in the Curriculum (Maddie Huelbig, '22, Max Sano '22, Bennett Wasch '23) (co-directed with Eve Bratman)

Stormwater pollution management & stated preference research design (Papa Yaw Owusu 鈥�19);

Willingness to pay for wetland & stream restoration through legacy sediment removal (Jacob Goodkin 鈥�19);

Nonmarket valuation of the benefits of wetland restoration at Big Spring Run (Jacob Goodkin '19, Fangzhou (Vicky) Wei '20)

Agricultural conservation among Amish farmers (Michael Morette 鈥�19);

Stormwater management in Lancaster city (Sally Rodenberger 鈥�18);

Environmental impacts of campus dining decisions (Yunhong (Mabel) Li '19, Esther White '17, Lea Senft '17

In the Field

Professors Bob Walter and Patrick Fleming at the site of a recent damn collapse near Strasburg Lancaster County

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