About

Juan-Camilo Cárdenas is a professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he has been faculty since June 2021. Born in Bogotá, Colombia, he specializes in the micro-foundations of social exchange, analysis and design of institutions that promote sustainable, efficient, and fair use of common resources and local public goods, as well as the effects of inequality and regulations in managing the common good. His research includes applications of experimental economics in the field, with a focus on rural institutions, poverty, cooperation, and biodiversity management. Cárdenas holds a Ph.D. in Environmental and Resource Economics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with a dissertation awarded the Joseph L. Fisher Dissertation Award, and has held academic positions at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, where he is on leave, and at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. His professional experience encompasses roles as a professor, associate professor, and international fellow at the Santa Fe Institute, with extensive involvement in research, editorial work, and academic service related to ecological economics, social sustainability, and collective action.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Computer Science
• Ecology
• Business
• Economics
• Biology
• Evolutionary biology
• Environmental resource management
• Microeconomics
• Public relations
• Law
• Finance
• Psychology
• Social psychology
• Public economics
• Economic system

Selected publications

• Another way of teaching microeconomics: impact evaluation of the CORE project

  Economica · 2026-04-08

  article

  Abstract Taking advantage of the random assignment of students in Uruguay to either a conventional introductory microeconomics course or one based on the Curriculum Open‐access Resources in Economics (CORE) project, we provide causal evidence on the effects of CORE on students' academic performance, learning experience and study practices. We find no systematic differences in pass or dropout rates between the two courses. Similarly, we observe no significant differences in performance in the concurrent calculus course or in a subsequent advanced microeconomics course. Therefore we find no evidence of disadvantages in related subsequent courses resulting from the use of a CORE‐based course. Consistent with the project's objectives, our results also show that students assigned to the non‐conventional course are 18% more likely than those in the traditional course to believe that it contributed to their academic and professional development. Furthermore, assignment to CORE reduces the likelihood of students paying for private microeconomics tutoring outside school hours, and increases both class attendance and the likelihood of studying in groups.

  PublisherDOI

• Solving science conundrums in the climate-nature-equity polycrisis with integrated transformative scenarios

  One Earth · 2026-05-01

  articleOpen access

  Addressing the intertwined climate, biodiversity, and equity crises requires transformative societal change. Yet the scenario frameworks and models used to explore future pathways often reproduce existing institutions, governance systems, and social structures, limiting their ability to imagine more sustainable and just futures. A key gap is the lack of approaches that can identify and evaluate transformative actions while accounting for systemic inequities in implementation. Here, we argue that integrating climate and biodiversity knowledge across the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, together with stakeholders and diverse knowledge holders, can support the development of normative scenarios and models for just and sustainable Earth system futures. We outline a research agenda, highlight emerging examples of this shift, and identify the coalitions and institutional changes needed to advance it. More inclusive scenarios and modeling tools are essential for foregrounding equitable solution pathways and informing decisions about collective futures.

  PublisherDOI

• Trust and the dynamics of network formation

  Network Science · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract We evaluate the effect of reciprocal trust within pairs of individuals—gauged by total potential earnings in a trust experiment—on the probability of relationship formation, in comparison with well-known determinants of social ties, such as time of exposure and homophily along demographic traits. We measured trust and trustworthiness for every individual in an incoming cohort of undergraduate students before they began interacting. Using relationship data sourced from surveys and campus entry/exit times between one month and two years after the trust experiment, we find that reciprocal trust is neither a statistically nor an economically significant factor in determining the students’ social networks. Instead, time of exposure, prior acquaintance, and other demographic characteristics play important and persistent roles in relationship formation.

  PublisherDOI

• Charting a transformational course toward a safe and just future: the Earth Commission’s contribution

  2025-08-11 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen access

  Humans are now operating well outside the planetary conditions that enabled stable and equitable development. The situation is urgent — we need a swift and profound shift in direction — a collective transformation. In response, the Earth Commission has developed a science-based framework that integrates biophysical limits with justice considerations, aiming to secure a liveable and dignified future for all. The Earth Commission’s first assessment showed that multiple safe and just Earth system boundaries have already been transgressed, threatening the resilience of the planet and the well-being of billions. This paper outlines the vision and scientific strategy for the Earth Commission’s second phase (2024–2027), which focuses on advancing this framework and translating it into actionable budgets and exploring transformation pathways to a safe and just space. Key components include expanding the safe and just boundary assessment to currently under-assessed Earth system processes (e.g., novel entities and ocean change), integrating justice more deeply into the framework, modelling interactions between boundaries and tipping points, and developing practical approaches to cross-scale translation and transformation. Special attention is given to the structural inequalities and power dynamics that shape both environmental degradation and our capacity to act. Through coordinated research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and stakeholder engagement, the Earth Commission seeks to provide knowledge to guide collective efforts toward transforming to a safe and just space for both people and the planet.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Special issue on social dilemmas

  Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization · 2025-08-28

  articleCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Effective community mobilization: Evidence from Mali

  World Development · 2025-03-04 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  • The adoption of healthy sanitation practices in rural areas requires focusing on the entire community’s behavior. • One limiting factor in ending open defecation lies in the capacity of the community to collectively act toward this goal. • The benefits of sanitation through better health outcomes depend on whether other community members opt out of open defecation. • A series of experiments are designed to measure the willingness of community members to contribute to a local public good. Experts argue that the adoption of healthy sanitation practices, such as hand washing and latrine use, requires focusing on the entire community rather than individual behaviors. According to this view, one limiting factor in ending open defecation lies in the capacity of the community to collectively act toward this goal. Each member of a community bears the private cost of contributing by washing hands and using latrines, but the benefits through better health outcomes depend on whether other community members also opt out of open defecation. We rely on a community-based intervention carried out in Mali as an illustrative example (Community-Led Total Sanitation or CLTS). Using a series of experiments conducted in 121 villages and designed to measure the willingness of community members to contribute to a local public good, we investigate the process of participation in a collective action problem setting. Our focus is on two types of activities: (1) gathering of community members to encourage public discussion of the collective action problem, and (2) facilitation by a community champion of the adoption of individual actions to attain the socially preferred outcome. In games, communication helps raise public good provision, and both open discussion and facilitated ones have the same impact. When a community member facilitates a discussion after an open discussion session, public good contributions increase, but there are no gains from opening up the discussion after a facilitated session. Community members who choose to contribute in the no-communication treatment are not better facilitators than those who choose not to contribute.

  PublisherDOI

• Blue Economy Sustainability Challenges due to Marine Pollution Impacts in Cartagena, Colombia

  2025-01-01

  book-chapter
  PublisherDOI

• Environmental justice beyond race: Skin tone and exposure to air pollution

  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2025-03-04 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  Recent research, focused mostly on the United States and Western Europe, shows that marginalized communities often face greater environmental degradation. However, the ethnoracial categories used in these studies may not fully capture environmental inequality in the Global South. Moving beyond conventional ethnoracial variables, this study presents findings exploring the link between skin tone and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) exposure in Colombia. By matching household geolocations from a large-scale longitudinal survey with satellite-based PM 2.5 estimates, we find that skin tone predicts both initial pollution exposure levels and their changes over time. Although average exposure levels remained stable during our study period, the environmental justice (EJ) landscape in Colombia contemporaneously underwent a complete transformation. In 2010, lighter-skinned individuals faced higher PM 2.5 exposure, but darker-skinned individuals experienced steeper increases in the following years. By 2016, the EJ gap had reversed, with people with the darkest skin tones exposed to PM 2.5 levels nearly one SD higher than those faced by people with the lightest skin tones. These patterns remain robust when controlling for a comprehensive set of theoretically relevant covariates, including ethnoracial self-identification and income. Disproportionate exposure to pollution from fires partially explains the observed disparities. Decomposition analysis shows that this variable, local collective action, and economic marginalization account for a sizeable share of the EJ gap. However, one-third of the gap remains unexplained by observable characteristics. With climate change intensifying fire incidence, the disproportionate disease burdens that vulnerable groups face might deepen unless policy measures are taken to reverse this trend.

  PublisherDOI

• Gender gaps in knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to environmental degradation in Colombia

  Environmental Research Climate · 2025-04-10 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Environmental degradation is a major public policy challenge, with the Global South being particularly vulnerable to its effects. In developing countries, women and girls often bear a greater burden of climate change and air pollution than men and boys do. While international research suggests that women tend to be more concerned about environmental issues and to adopt more sustainable practices, studies on this topic in the Global South remain scarce. This study examines gender differences in environmental knowledge, attitudes, and practices among secondary school students in Colombia. Our results confirm gender differences in the attitudes dimension, with few statistically significant differences in the other two components. Overall, concern about environmental degradation is high, with half of the respondents ranking it as the most severe issue in their communities and globally. However, girls express greater concern for the environment and feel more responsible for climate change (8–10 percentage points more than boys). We also provide new insights into girls’ greater awareness and familiarity with indoor air pollution (IAP) (a difference of 8.5–9 percentage points), consistently with previous findings documenting a gender gap in exposure to IAP. Our findings can help design and develop inclusive education policies for climate adaptation and mitigation, particularly in Global South countries, in order to empower students in the face of climate change.

  PublisherDOI

• Desigualdad económica y participación en organizaciones sociales en Colombia

  Documentos CEDE · 2024-06-04

  articleOpen access

  Este artículo estudia cómo la desigualdad afecta la participación de los individuos en organizaciones cívicas, si este efecto persiste con el tiempo y qué mecanismos pueden moldear esta relación. Los resultados muestran que la desigualdad en Colombia está asociada con aumentos en la participación individual en organizaciones políticas, incluido un aumento en la afiliación, asistencia a reuniones y en asumir roles de liderazgo. Los mecanismos que explican el efecto incluyen la influencia de las élites, unas fuertes redes sociales entre los miembros de la comunidad y unas altas aspiraciones individuales. El efecto es más fuerte a medio plazo y se debilita con el tiempo.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• David P. Tracer

  University of Colorado Denver

  36 shared

• Natalie Henrich

  University of British Columbia

  34 shared

• Abigail Barr

  34 shared

• Frank W. Marlowe

  University of Cambridge

  31 shared

• Michael Gurven

  31 shared

• Alexander Bolyanatz

  31 shared

• Carolyn Lesorogol

  31 shared

• Edwins Laban Moogi Gwako

  31 shared

Awards & honors

• Mención de Honor “Fundación Alejandro Angel Escobar” Science…
• Robert F. Kennedy Visiting Professor of Latin American Studi…
• Premio Bienal al Investigador Javeriano en Ciencias Sociales…
• Santa Fe Institute International Fellowships Competition. Ju…
• First Place. Research Medal Awards (Category “Environmental…