People:Faculty

Leah Greden Mathews

Leah’s research focuses on the valuation of those things that you can’t buy on supermarket shelves, like environmental quality, and the links between economics and policy.  Her previous research includes projects estimating the costs of financing farmland preservation in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, valuing water quality improvements in the Minnesota River, and the value that recreators have for maintaining higher water levels in Fontana Lake.  She also helped to estimate the value of scenic quality to Blue Ridge Parkway visitors. 

Leah’s current research incorporates both her interest in policy relevant research and her rural heritage.  The Farmland Values Project is gathering information about the values that communities in western North Carolina have for farmland, with particular attention to those that aren't typically exchanged in markets, including scenic beauty and cultural heritage.

Contact Information

Associate Professor
Department of Economics
The University of North Carolina at Asheville
Economics CPO 2110
One University Heights
Asheville, NC  28804
lmathews@unca.edu
(828)251-6551
Fax (828)251-6572