He conducts research in the fields of development economics, public finance, and environmental economics. His current research focuses on the institutional barriers to water & sanitation provision, the health & behavioral effects of natural resource management, and the improvement of public procurement in developing countries. Evan received his Ph.D. and M.A. from Columbia University and a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley, where he won the Earl Rolph Memorial Prize as the top undergraduate student in his class.