About Sam A. Levy

I am a Science & Policy Fellow at the Accountability Framework initiative and Rainforest Alliance.

I received my PhD in Development Economics from ETH Zürich, where I was a member of the Environmental Policy Lab. I also hold an MSc in Environmental Change & Management from the University of Oxford and a BA in Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge. I have interdisciplinary training in economics, geography, environmental science, and anthropology and in my research I use a range of methods and designs, including statistical models and case studies. Prior to my current position, I was a Postdoctoral Associate at New York University’s Department of Environmental Studies.

My work focuses on understanding the effectiveness and equity of environmental policies, particularly those seeking to govern the conversion of native vegetation, such as forests and savannahs. In my research I have advanced understanding regarding the theoretical basis for effective zero-deforestation commitments, as well as conducted qualitative and quantitative analyses of forest-focused private environmental policies in the Brazilian Amazon. Currently, in addition to expanding my previous work on zero-deforestation commitments, I am investigating the conservation impacts of Indigenous Lands in Indonesia.

My PhD thesis is available here.