Robert H. Nelson is a professor of environmental policy at the School of Public Policy of the University of Maryland. His primary research interests include environment and natural resources, housing and urban development and religion. From 1975 to 1993, he worked in the Office of Policy Analysis of the Interior Department -- the principal policy office serving the Secretary of the Interior. 

His writings have appeared in many professional journals and edited book collections, including the Journal of Economic Literature, Journal of Political Economy, Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Natural Resources Journal, Environmental Law, University of Colorado Law Review, and University of Illinois Law Review.  He is the author of eight books including The New Holy Wars: Economic Religion versus Environmental Religion in Contemporary America (Penn State Press, 2010); Private Neighborhoods and the Transformation of Local Government (Urban Institute Press, 2005); A Burning Issue: A Case for Abolishing the U.S. Forest Service (Rowman & Littlefield, 2000) and Public Lands and Private Rights: The Failure of Scientific Management (Rowman & Littlefield, 1995).  Mr. Nelson has written widely for broader audiences in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Financial Times, Denver Post, The Weekly Standard, Reason, Technology Review, Environment, Regulation, and many other publications.  He was a columnist for Forbes magazine from 1993 to 2000. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University (1971).