Sarah Stafford

Sarah Stafford is a Professor of Economics at the College of William & Mary, affiliated with the Department of Economics in the College of Arts & Sciences. She joined the faculty in 1998 after earning her Ph.D. in Economics from Johns Hopkins University and B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. Her research focuses on environmental regulations' impacts on firms and industries, with particular emphasis on coastal management, hazardous waste policy, and regulatory compliance mechanisms.

• Education:
• B.S. in Foreign Service, Georgetown University (1990)
• Ph.D. in Economics, Johns Hopkins University (1998)

Her research interests span environmental economics, regulatory policy, and law and economics. Key areas include evaluating the effects of environmental regulations on business behavior, measuring social vulnerability to climate change, and designing effective compliance frameworks for hazardous materials. Recent work emphasizes coastal zone management, living shorelines, and the economic impacts of recurrent flooding in Virginia.

Her publications analyze regulatory effectiveness, including studies on environmental audits, state-federal regulatory interactions, and community vulnerability indices. Research consistently bridges economic theory with practical policy applications, particularly in coastal resilience and environmental justice.