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on Environmental Economics |
| By: | Márcia J. Diniz; Marcelo B. Diniz |
| Abstract: | The motivation of this article bases on the existent controversy in the recent literature about economic growth, sustainable development and environmental protection, started with the empirical evidences presented by Grossman and Krueger (1995, 1996), where the relationship between per capita GDP and emission of pollutants takes the shape of an inverted-U, denominated in the literature as Environmental Kuznets Curves (EKC). This article differs from others by contributing with further explanation stemming from economic development indicators. Despite being contested by many authors, several structural interpretations of EKC have been strongly sustained under ad hoc shield. The concern about such stylized fact is whether or not the economic growth itself generates an automatic protection to the environment, consequently to the maintainable development. Based upon panel data for countries, it is verified that the variables that denote sustainable economic development present a weak relationship with per capita GDP to support an EKC representation. There are also evidences for environmental curves in cubic format, which means rejection of EKC, besides most of the development indicators pointing out for divergences among countries. |
| JEL: | Q01 O57 O15 |
| Date: | 2005 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:anp:en2005:134&r=env |
| By: | Emerson Martins Hilgemberg; Joaquim J. M. Guilhoto; Cleise M. A. T. Hilgemberg |
| Abstract: | This work quantifies the CO2 emissions from energy use of natural gas, alcohol and oil derived products at a regional level and evaluates the impacts of eventual policies for emissions control. The results pointed the connection between the activity level and the emissions of CO2 for each energy input considered for the six regions detailing the portion of the total emissions caused by final demand, interindustry consumption and household consumption. The model was also used to make simulations in order to evaluate the economic effects of a hypothetic control on emissions. |
| JEL: | Q52 |
| Date: | 2005 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:anp:en2005:135&r=env |
| By: | Alexandre Rivas; James F. Casey; James R. Kahn |
| Abstract: | This paper looks at the question of whether subsistence level/indigenous people place a value on the preservation of ecosystems independent of direct impacts of environmental change, such as impacts on their health or production activities. A survey was conducting of rainforest communities who live on the banks of the Amazon River, in the vicinity of proposed oil and gas pipelines. The data was analyzed using conjoint analysis, revealing a very strong willingness to pay to avoid damage to ecosystems, even if the people were completely compensated for direct damages such as loss of access to productive resources. This results shows that environmental quality is not necessarily a luxury good, and rejects the hypothesis that people with low cash incomes have low demand for environmental quality. |
| JEL: | Q51 Q56 Q57 |
| Date: | 2005 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:anp:en2005:138&r=env |
| By: | Bezabih, Mintewab (Department of Economics, School of Economics and Commercial Law, Göteborg University) |
| Abstract: | The study is an empirical investigation of agrobiodiversity conservation decisions of small farmers in the central highlands of Ethiopia. The primary objective is to measure the effectiveness of Community Seed Banking (CSB) in enhancing diversity while providing productivity incentives. The analytical framework draws from the synergetic nature of the possible improvment of the working of the seed system and enhanced diversity. We employ Amemiya’s GLS estimator to investigate simultaneity between participation and the level of diversity. Our results indicate a significant impact of participation in CSB on farm-level agrobiodiversity. However, farmer knowledge and experience associated with biodiversity conservation were not found to have the expected reinforcing impact on the degree of biodiversity. CSB participation also led to a moderate productivity increase consistent with the need for such incentives to enhance diversity at a farm level. Our assessment of the performance of the GLS estimator yielded a significant discrepancy between the GLS and bootstrap estimates. This led to the conclusion that bootstrapping asymptotic estimations might be required for appropriate inference even when sample sizes are reasonably large. <p> |
| Keywords: | Agrobiodiversity; Seed system; Amemiya’s GLS; Bootstrapping |
| JEL: | C35 Q12 Q29 |
| Date: | 2005–10–31 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:gunwpe:0185&r=env |
| By: | Yusuf Tashrifov |
| Abstract: | This study examines the effects of market reform on the agriculture sector of Tajikistan. It investigates the level and determinants of technical efficiency for a sample of cotton growing regions in Tajikistan. Using unbalanced panel data of 11 years covering the transition period 1992-2002, 34 cotton-producing regions are analysed with a translog stochastic production frontier, including a model for regional-specific technical inefficiencies. The output elasticities, marginal productivities of inputs, returns to scale, and indices of convergence are also examined. They reveal that the technical inefficiency effects are found to be highly significant in indicating the ranges and variation in regional outputs. The results show that market reforms had a significant positive impact on technical efficiency of cotton production, which, in turn, has a substantial contribution to the process of economic development of Tajikistan. |
| JEL: | D20 Q16 Q13 Q10 |
| Date: | 2005 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:idc:wpaper:idec05-8&r=env |
| By: | Jeon, Yongsik; Herriges, Joseph A. |
| Abstract: | Recreation demand modeling efforts are often limited by the range of variation in observed environmental quality. To address this limitation, the practitioners increasingly makes use of contingent behavior (CB) data; i.e., asking survey respondents to forecast their trip patterns under hypothetical quality conditions. However, relatively little is know as to whether these stated responses are consistent with how households response to actual quality variation. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the convergent validity of CB data with observed trip patterns. Toward this end, we jointly model the recreation lake usage for in Iowa using observed and CB trip data collected from the 2004 Iowa Lakes Survey. The Iowa lakes survey collected three sets of trip data for 131 lakes in the state: (a) actual trips in 2004, (b) anticipated trips in 2005 to the same lakes given current lake conditions and (c) anticipated trips in 2005 given hypothetical improvements to a subset of the lakes. The three types of recreation demand data provide a unique opportunity to investigate the convergent validity of individual responses to actual versus hypothetical environmental conditions. |
| JEL: | Q5 |
| Date: | 2005–11–14 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:isu:genres:12473&r=env |
| By: | Jeon, Yongsik; Herriges, Joseph A.; Kling, Catherine L.; Downing, John |
| Abstract: | Recreation demand models typically incorporate measures of the physical attributes of recreational sites; e.g., Secchi depth or phosphorous levels in case of water quality. Moreover, most studies show that individuals do respond to these physical characteristics in choosing where to recreate. However, the question remains as to whether the available physical measures accurately capture individual perceptions of water quality and if there is a additional role to be played by elicited perception measures in modeling recreation demand. In this paper, we use data from the 2004 Iowa Lakes Survey to model recreation demand as a function of both the physical water quality at 131 lakes in the state and household perceptions of lake water quality. In general, water quality perceptions are correlated with the available physical measures, but not perfectly so, and both actual and perceived water quality are found to significantly impact recreational site choice. |
| JEL: | Q5 |
| Date: | 2005–11–14 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:isu:genres:12474&r=env |
| By: | Hennessy, David A. |
| Abstract: | The spatial dimension of agricultural production is important when a communicable disease enters a region. This paper considers two sorts of biosecurity risk that producers can seek to protect against. One concerns the risk of spread: that neighboring producers do not take due care in protecting against being infected by a disease already in the region. In this case, producer efforts substitute with those of near neighbors. For representative spatial production structures, we characterize Nash equilibrium protection levels and show how spatial production structure matters. The other sort of risk concerns entry: that producers do not take due care in preventing the disease from entering the region. In this case, producer heterogeneity has subtle effects on welfare loss due to strategic behavior. Efforts by producers complement, suggesting that inter-farm communication will help to redress the problem. |
| Keywords: | circle and line topologies, complements and substitutes, epidemic, public good. |
| Date: | 2005–11–15 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:isu:genres:12475&r=env |
| By: | Tim J. Foxon (4CMR – Cambridge Centre for Climate Change Mitigation Research, Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge.); Peter J. Pearson (Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, UK.) |
| Abstract: | This paper analyses recent, current and potential future relations between policy processes and substantive outcomes in UK low carbon innovation policy. It examines the development of policy processes relating to the adoption and implementation of the Renewables Obligation and how these may affect the current and likely future success of the Obligation in promoting low carbon innovation. It looks at the new policy and institutional processes put in place in the 2003 Energy White Paper and argues that these are unlikely to provide the strategic long-term framework needed to realize the ambitious goals for UK energy policy set out in the White Paper. Finally, it outlines some suggestions for further development of policy processes to facilitate improved delivery of these goals, based on guiding principles for sustainable innovation policy processes, developed by the authors and colleagues. |
| Keywords: | Low carbon innovation policy, Renewables Obligation, guiding principles, sustainable innovation policy processes. |
| Date: | 2005–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:lnd:wpaper:200516&r=env |
| By: | Ambec, Stefan; Barla, Philippe |
| Abstract: | The Porter hypothesis asserts polluting firms can benefit from environmental policies, arguing that well-designed environmental regulations stimulate innovation, which by increasing either productivity or product value, leads to private benefits. As a consequence, environmental regulations would benefit both society and regulated firms. This point of view has found a receptive audience among policy makers and the popular press but has been severely criticized by economists. In this paper, we present some of the arguments in this debate and review the empirical evidence available so far in the economic literature. |
| Keywords: | Porter Hypothesis, Environmental Regulations, Competitiveness |
| JEL: | Q50 Q52 Q55 |
| Date: | 2005 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:lvl:laeccr:0505&r=env |
| By: | Emmanuel Flachaire (EUREQua); Guillaume Hollard (OEP - UniversitŽ de Marne-la-VallŽe) |
| Abstract: | In this paper, we study starting point bias in double-bounded contingent valuation surveys. This phenomenon arises in applications that use multiple valuation questions. Indeed, response to follow-up valuation questions may be influenced by the bid proposed in the initial valuation question. Previous researches have been conducted in order to control for such an effect. However, they find that efficiency gains are lost when we control for undesirable response effects, relative to a single dichotomous choice question. Contrary to these results, we propose a way to control for starting point bias in double-bounded questions with gains in efficiency. |
| Keywords: | Starting-point bias, contingent valuation. |
| JEL: | Q26 C81 C93 |
| Date: | 2005–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mse:wpsorb:v05076&r=env |
| By: | Emmanuel Flachaire (EUREQua); Guillaume Hollard (OEP - UniversitŽ de Marne-la-VallŽe) |
| Abstract: | Public economics proposed various models that intend to determine the optimal provision of public goods based on individual preferences. To provide decision makers with empirical recommendations, economists thus need to elicit individual preferences, and more precisely the marginal rate of substitution between private and public goods. Contingent valuation has proved a useful, and successful, tool to gather information on individual preferences. However, contingent valuation has been proved sensitive to various biases. In other words, variables that are not expected to have any influence do so in practice. In this paper, we propose a methodology, based on social psychology, which allows the identification of individuals that are proved immune to biases. This allows designing more powerfull, bias free, estimation of individual preferences. Two distinct applications are provided. |
| Keywords: | Behavioral economic, contingent valuation. |
| JEL: | Q26 C81 C93 |
| Date: | 2005–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mse:wpsorb:v05077&r=env |
| By: | Sirisha C. Naidu (University of Massachusetts Amherst) |
| Abstract: | This paper explores the role of group heterogeneity in collective action among forest communities in northwestern Himalayas. Based on data from 54 forest communities in Himachal Pradesh, India, this paper finds that heterogeneity has at least three dimensions: wealth, social identity and interest in the resource, and each may significantly affect collective actions related to natural resource management. However, their effects are far from simple and linear. The empirical results suggest that cooperation need not depend on caste parochialism, that very high levels of wealth heterogeneity can reduce cooperation, and that there can be a divergence between ability and incentive to cooperate which reduces the level of cooperation in the community. |
| Keywords: | common pool resources, group outcomes, heterogeneity, forests, Himachal Pradesh |
| JEL: | D63 D71 H41 Q23 |
| Date: | 2005–11–19 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wpa:wuwpot:0511004&r=env |