This study compares the environmental and economic effects of alternative targeting strategies (benefit, cost, and benefit-cost ratio targeting) for reducing nitrate-N water pollution in the Des Moines Watershed in Iowa. The objective is achieved by applying an integrated modeling system to...

This study integrates economic and physical models to estimate the social costs of several commonly suggested policies (chemical-use tax and three types of conservation payments) for reducing nitrogen loads to the Mississippi River and for controlling hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. The economic...

In the last 20 years, both public and private expenditures on resource conservation and environmental protection have increased dramatically. However, there are numerous technical and political barriers to the efficient use of conservation funds. This paper discusses some of these barriers and...

There is broad concern that humans are transforming our environment. This transformation has potential to impact humanity as we depend on the environment ecosystem services. According to the Millennium Assessment (2005), degradation and unsustainable exploitation presently threaten over 60% of...

The Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act (FAIR) of 1996 ended commodity specific subsidies and resulted in a significant shift in corn and soybean production in 1997. While conservation compliance improved the environmental health of the Central U.S., changes in production due to the...

Green payment programs, where the government pays farmers directly for environmental benefits, are an alternative to the current method of achieving environmental benefits which restricts farming practices in exchange for deficiency payments. This article presents a voluntary green payment...

This project examines the driving forces behind the land-use change and evaluates the effects of land-use transition on soil organic carbon density and sequestration cost in China. It contributes to the literature in three aspects. First, it applies a discrete choice method to model multiple...

This paper examines equilibrium properties of local jurisdictions implied by the Tiebout-style model. A set of equilibrium conditions are derived from a general equilibrium model of local jurisdictions. The conditions are parameterized and empirically estimated in a two-stage procedure. The...

Resource purchasing funds have become a major tool for environmental protection and resource conservation. These funds use various strategies to target resources for environmental conservation, the choice of which may lead to striking differences in environmental performance. This paper develops...