A CIRANO Associate Researcher and Fellow since 2009, Alain-Désiré Nimubona is Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Waterloo.
Holding a PhD in Applied Economics from HEC Montréal, he is interested in analysing the equilibrium relationships between polluters and their abatement equipment suppliers, which constitutes the environmental industry or eco-industry. Using economic modelling, he has been studying the interplay between environmental and trade policies related to the eco-industry, as well as the market structure of this industry. More recently, his research interests have widened to include issues related to trade and environment in developing countries, with a focus on the analysis of the effectiveness of green foreign aid. Another recent research interest of his is the study of the effects of market power in the Canadian gasoline industry.
Due to his personal background as a native of a developing country, his early research interests were in development economics. He has conducted empirical and theoretical research related to structural adjustment programs and intergenerational education mobility in sub-Saharan Africa. Although he remains interested in development issues, He decided to specialize in environmental economics during his Ph.D. studies. He developed research streams in environmental economics and industrial organization, especially in the analysis of imperfect competition strategies of the eco-industry - the specialized industry that supplies abatement goods and services, such as air pollution control and wastewater management, to polluters. As a faculty member at Waterloo, he continues, among other projects, to fully explore these issues with applications in the Alberta oil sands industry.
Alain-Désiré Nimubona has also been involved in public policy formulation, notably as a consultant at the Institute for Economic Development (IDEC) in Burundi, the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) in Burundi, the ministry of planning and reconstruction of the Republic of Burundi, and the Canadian Policy Research Networks (CPRN).
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