Zachariah Rutledge

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Assistant Professor
Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics

Dr. Rutledge is a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics. He received training as an applied economist at the University of California, Davis where he earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural and Resource Economics in 2020. Upon graduating, he spent a year and a half working as a postdoctoral research scholar at Arizona State University under the supervision of Dr. Timothy Richards.

Dr. Rutledge’s research covers a variety of topics related to low-skilled immigration in the United States, and his recent work focuses primarily on issues related to domestic agricultural labor markets. His current research efforts aim to document and understand issues related to farm labor scarcity and investigate market- and policy-based solutions to the problem. His research includes ongoing survey work with various industry groups to gain information about how farmers are dealing with limited access to immigrant labor.

He has presented research at a number of academic conferences, government workshops, and outreach meetings. His research has appeared in peer-reviewed journals such as the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Food Policy, and California Agriculture. He has also co-authored technical reports for organizations such as the Economic Policy Institute and the USDA Economic Research Service and has published a handful of outreach articles summarizing his academic work for layperson audiences.

Dr. Rutledge has provided consulting services to the World Bank Group, UC Davis Migration Dialogue, the Hoover Institution, and the National Council of Agricultural Employers. He has also served as an expert witness for the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board.

Research and Outreach Interests