We design two institutions that collect individual contributions to provide multiple public good units, inspired by a problem to deliver ecosystem services as a step-level public good (delivered in discrete increments). We set up a public good experiment wherein either all individuals for one...

In provision point mechanism, the cost threshold for provision introduces incentives for individuals to contribute toward the public good and, in general, the Pareto efficient outcome is a subset of equilibrium outcomes. However, the threshold cannot eliminate the pure free-rider equilibrium...

Environmental economists invest in measuring the value of the environment but put less effort toward integrating that value directly into the economy. Experimental economists evaluate the performance of mechanisms to fund public goods but in some cases offer limited insight into practical...

This paper uses county-level data from California to test whether ethnic fragmentation and other measures of diversity and social capital are systematically related to spending on productive local public goods that affect rural quality of life. The specific focus of this paper is the impact of...

This paper presents a cost function for the pupil transportation industry in Minnesota. In-house provision of transportation was not shown to be more costly than outsourcing. Large contractors may seek the most profitable contracts in urban and suburban areas, while showing little interest in...

This paper estimated the fiscal impact of a job creation tax credit, a proposed incentive for establishments participating in the Indiana enterprise zone program. State unemployment insurance files were utilized with GIS to obtain enterprise zone data. Labor demand and labor supply were...

Transportation rates are vital components in the structure of U.S. grain exports. In this paper we study the dynamic properties of corn and soybean prices, and barge, rail and ocean shipping rates using time series analysis on monthly 1992-2001 data. Using Error Correction Model and Directed...

New policy is being developed that incorporates not only innovative means of disposal, including the integration of source reduction and recycling, but also innovative approaches to funding disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW). This study was conducted to determine if a higher marginal price...

The paper extends the work of Deller et al (2001) by introducing a spatial component in a structural growth model to capture the role of spatially distributed variables using county-level data. The premise of the analysis is that what is true at a national level may provide a partial or...

As traditional methods of municipal solid waste management (MSWM) become increasingly expensive due to increased regulation, many local governments are considering cooperation as a waste management strategy. A theoretical model is used to specify a partial observability probability model in...