Stated preference analyses commonly impose strong and unrealistic assumptions in response to spatial welfare heterogeneity. These include spatial homogeneity or continuous distance decay. Despite their ubiquity in the valuation literature, global assumptions such as these have been increasingly...

Stated preference scenarios often provide information on intermediate biophysical processes but omit information on the resulting final services that provide utility. This may cause respondents to speculate about the effects of intermediate outcomes on their welfare, leading to biased welfare...

The present study focuses on a state-wide case study to evaluate recreational benefits from forthcoming effluent limitation guidelines for the Metal Products and Machinery Industry. The study combines water quality modeling and a random utility model to assess how changes in water quality from...

Economists frequently assess willingness to pay (WTP) for land preservation outcomes independent of information regarding policy implementation. The public, however, may not only be concerned with the consequences of land management, but also may have systematic preferences for policy procedures...

Although mixed logit models are common in stated preference applications, resulting welfare estimates can be sensitive to minor changes in specification. This can be of critical relevance for policy and welfare analysis, particularly if policymakers are unaware of practical implications. Drawing...

Maps in stated preference surveys rarely identify the location of respondents’ homes. This standard approach is grounded in the assumption that respondents are aware of their exact household locations relative to mapped policy effects, and hence possess sufficient understanding of spatial...

In this paper we build on a voluntary mechanism introduced by Segerson and Wu (2006) that uses the threat of an ambient tax to induce nonpoint source polluters to reduce emissions. In addition to reviewing Segerson and Wu's policy, we propose a new voluntary/threat policy that offers some...

Will nitrogen soil testing improve groundwater quality enough to decrease the demand for direct regulation? This question is addressed using a dynamic simulation model of irrigated agriculture in eastern Oregon. Results indicate that soil testing reduces applied nitrogen, increases farm profits...

We offer a decentralized solution to the asymmetric information and hidden action problems in the nonpoint source (NPS) pollution case. Farmers in the same watershed generate homogeneous NPS pollution. The regulator, R, pays for (or represents a group of point-source, PS, polluters who pay for)...

Many firms anticipate that a cap on greenhouse gas emissions will eventually be imposed, either through an international agreement like the Kyoto protocol or through domestic policy, and have started to take voluntary actions to reduce their emissions. If agricultural producers participate in...