The value of forests to poor communities within or around the forest has been garnering increasin... more The value of forests to poor communities within or around the forest has been garnering increasingly more attention. A recent study partially commissioned by the World Bank reveals that in some 54 case studies evaluated, forest income averaged 22% of total income. The income generated from forest use by these communities serves many roles, including as a primary income source, a secondary income source, and as a safety net to alleviate production shocks to other income-generating activities. From a policy perspective, especially in terms of poverty alleviation and forest management, an understanding of the degree and manner by which poor forest communities depend and draw upon potentially scarce forest resources may be useful. Furthermore, identification of factors that influence the degree and manner of forest dependence would likely help policymakers develop more effective forest conservation strategies and poverty reduction policies. This research intends to identify the degree a...
This paper argues that past evaluations of the efficiency gains for command and control (CAC) ver... more This paper argues that past evaluations of the efficiency gains for command and control (CAC) versus incentive based (IB) environmental policies have been misleading. An analytical model of firm behavior in offering pollution permits for sale is used to demonstrate that the efficiency properties of a policy depend on how the policy design affects the excess demand (by other market participants) for permits. The importance of the argument to the estimated size of CAC/IB comparisons is illustrated with a large scale, nutrient balance model for the Neuse River Basin in North Carolina. The model includes both waste water treatment plants and non-point sources of nutrients and confirms the theoretical arguments.
How to manage salinity and drainage issues in a semi-arid region that receives surface water impo... more How to manage salinity and drainage issues in a semi-arid region that receives surface water imports, is subject to a saline, high water table, and does not have an outlet for salts and drainage water? Options include source control, land retirement, water table controls, and drainage water reuse. The analyses suggest that agricultural production in such a region is sustainable over decadal periods. High levels of productivity and profitability can be maintained over policy-relevant time horizons, but as salts are imported into the region and if groundwater reuse just re-circulates salts in the system over reasonable time scales, it is physically certain that reuse cannot be relied upon forever because the water table salt concentration eventually will increase, absent external drainage.
Science Across Cultures: the History of Non-Western Science, 2012
Page 1. Happiness and Life Satisfaction in Malaysia Ryan T. Howell, Wan Tien Chong, Colleen J. Ho... more Page 1. Happiness and Life Satisfaction in Malaysia Ryan T. Howell, Wan Tien Chong, Colleen J. Howell, and Kurt Schwabe ... Finally, the indigenous population in Malaysia is the orang asli who account for 5% of the country's pop-ulation. ...
Fish hatchery programs commonly are used to enhance depleted fish populations. While these progra... more Fish hatchery programs commonly are used to enhance depleted fish populations. While these programs are highly valued by the public, most likely due to their nonrestrictive approach to restoring a fishery, the effectiveness of these programs has been often questioned. This study investigates economic and ecological effectiveness of the Albemarle Sound/Roanoke River (AR) striped bass stocking program from 1981 to1996
ABSTRACT Groundwater provides many valuable services to society, especially as a source of irriga... more ABSTRACT Groundwater provides many valuable services to society, especially as a source of irrigation water. However, over-extraction and degradation threaten the ability of many groundwater systems to continue to provide such valuable services to society. As governments consider the costs and potential policy adjustments to address this issue, information on the benefits of maintaining these resources, or the damages associated with further degradation, can be helpful. Reported results from hedonic methods that have estimated the potential benefits of groundwater to irrigated agriculture, though, are rather mixed. While there are a number of reasons such disparities might arise across studies, a significant factor may be related to the quality of the groundwater, a somewhat surprisingly overlooked factor in these studies. The objective of this paper is to highlight the role of groundwater quality, and in particular salinity, in influencing the estimated value of groundwater to irrigated agriculture, using the hedonic valuation approach. Using a rich data set of parcel-level characteristics and market values for irrigated agricultural land located in California's Central Valley — an irrigation-intensive region with significant heterogeneity in both groundwater depth and salinity — we find that failure to include salinity as an argument explaining land values can lead to poor assessments as to the marginal value of the groundwater. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of accounting for the non-separability between groundwater depth, groundwater quality, and land values by showing how the marginal value of changes in groundwater and salinity are influenced by one another. Damages associated with projected increases in groundwater salinity by the year 2030 are estimated also.
Increasing aridity, more frequent and intense drought, and greater degrees of water scarcity crea... more Increasing aridity, more frequent and intense drought, and greater degrees of water scarcity create unique challenges for agriculture. In response to these challenges, which often manifest themselves as lower and more variable surface water supplies, as well as depleted and degraded ground water supplies, growers tend to seek opportunities to adapt. One option for growers to reduce their exposure to water scarcity and heightened uncertainty is to diversify. Indeed, access to a portfolio of supplies is one way in which water and irrigation districts, as well as individual growers, are responding to the changing landscape of water resource availability. This article evaluates the benefits to irrigated agriculture from having access to multiple sources of water. With farm‐level information on 1,900 agricultural parcels across California, we use the hedonic property value method to investigate the extent that growers benefit from having access to multiple sources of water (i.e., a water...
Water conservation in California has been a major subject of concern for agencies in their effort... more Water conservation in California has been a major subject of concern for agencies in their efforts to satisfy their residential demand while coping with frequent shortfalls, especially in periods of drought. During the 2012–2016 severe drought in California, the state enacted a conservation mandate that imposed specific conservation targets of 4% up to 36% for water utilities. While the utilities met those targets in 2015, water use, on average, has slowly crept up or rebounded subsequently, although not to pre‐drought levels. Understanding the manner and degree to which water use rebounds can be critically important for water utilities in their planning and investment decisions. Using a unique panel dataset on single‐family residential water use by nearly 20,000 customers of a Northern California water agency from 2013 to 2019, this paper explores the magnitude and character of the rebound effect that occurred after the cessation of a statewide conservation mandate that was imposed...
Growing deer populations are controlled through changes in hunting regulations including changes ... more Growing deer populations are controlled through changes in hunting regulations including changes in both hunter bag limits and season length. Such action results in direct benefits to hunters and indirect benefits to motorists and the agricultural sector as a lower deer population leads to fewer incidences of human-deer encounters. Traditional recreation demand models are often employed to examine the welfare implications of changes in daily hunting bag limits. Studies measuring the effects of changes in season length, however, are noticeably absent from the literature. This study uses a nested random utility model to examine hunter choice over site and season selection to derive the welfare implications of changes in season length.
ABSTRACT During the restoration planning phase of the natural resource damage assessment (NRDA) p... more ABSTRACT During the restoration planning phase of the natural resource damage assessment (NRDA) process, potential injuries to natural resources and services are evaluated in terms of the nature, degree and extent of injury so that the need for and scale of restoration actions can be ascertained. Injuries are quantified by comparing the condition of the injured natural resource relative to baseline (pre-injury) conditions. The “Type A” procedures are used to quantify damages from smaller spills and rely on a standardized methodology and computer model to calculate injury and value of damages. In this model, fishery stock changes from injuries and resulting changes in user participation are not treated as dynamic. If true stock growth and re-growth are indeed dynamic, then the Type A model is likely underestimating fishery losses. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the potential for such underestimation by comparing simulated stock and harvest losses under dynamic treatment and a static treatment that more closely represents the way stock and service losses are estimated under the current NRDA process.
Drainwater management strategies include source control, reuse, treatment, and evaporation ponds;... more Drainwater management strategies include source control, reuse, treatment, and evaporation ponds; questions of interest are efficient management, policy instruments, and sustainability. A high level of source control is indicated absent reuse due to the relatively high cost of evaporation ponds; this is accomplished largely through high uniformity/high cost irrigation systems. With reuse, the primary form of source control is reduction in land area devoted to freshwater production; the released land goes to reuse production. Reuse appears as an economically promising solution to the drainage problem. A high level of net returns is achieved while maintaining overall hydrologic balance in the system. Economic efficiency and hydrologic balance may be attained through pricing or market schemes. With pricing, growers are charged for deep percolations flows, while reuse and evaporation pond operators are paid for extractions. With markets, permit supply is generated by extractions from th...
The value of forests to poor communities within or around the forest has been garnering increasin... more The value of forests to poor communities within or around the forest has been garnering increasingly more attention. A recent study partially commissioned by the World Bank reveals that in some 54 case studies evaluated, forest income averaged 22% of total income. The income generated from forest use by these communities serves many roles, including as a primary income source, a secondary income source, and as a safety net to alleviate production shocks to other income-generating activities. From a policy perspective, especially in terms of poverty alleviation and forest management, an understanding of the degree and manner by which poor forest communities depend and draw upon potentially scarce forest resources may be useful. Furthermore, identification of factors that influence the degree and manner of forest dependence would likely help policymakers develop more effective forest conservation strategies and poverty reduction policies. This research intends to identify the degree a...
This paper argues that past evaluations of the efficiency gains for command and control (CAC) ver... more This paper argues that past evaluations of the efficiency gains for command and control (CAC) versus incentive based (IB) environmental policies have been misleading. An analytical model of firm behavior in offering pollution permits for sale is used to demonstrate that the efficiency properties of a policy depend on how the policy design affects the excess demand (by other market participants) for permits. The importance of the argument to the estimated size of CAC/IB comparisons is illustrated with a large scale, nutrient balance model for the Neuse River Basin in North Carolina. The model includes both waste water treatment plants and non-point sources of nutrients and confirms the theoretical arguments.
How to manage salinity and drainage issues in a semi-arid region that receives surface water impo... more How to manage salinity and drainage issues in a semi-arid region that receives surface water imports, is subject to a saline, high water table, and does not have an outlet for salts and drainage water? Options include source control, land retirement, water table controls, and drainage water reuse. The analyses suggest that agricultural production in such a region is sustainable over decadal periods. High levels of productivity and profitability can be maintained over policy-relevant time horizons, but as salts are imported into the region and if groundwater reuse just re-circulates salts in the system over reasonable time scales, it is physically certain that reuse cannot be relied upon forever because the water table salt concentration eventually will increase, absent external drainage.
Science Across Cultures: the History of Non-Western Science, 2012
Page 1. Happiness and Life Satisfaction in Malaysia Ryan T. Howell, Wan Tien Chong, Colleen J. Ho... more Page 1. Happiness and Life Satisfaction in Malaysia Ryan T. Howell, Wan Tien Chong, Colleen J. Howell, and Kurt Schwabe ... Finally, the indigenous population in Malaysia is the orang asli who account for 5% of the country's pop-ulation. ...
Fish hatchery programs commonly are used to enhance depleted fish populations. While these progra... more Fish hatchery programs commonly are used to enhance depleted fish populations. While these programs are highly valued by the public, most likely due to their nonrestrictive approach to restoring a fishery, the effectiveness of these programs has been often questioned. This study investigates economic and ecological effectiveness of the Albemarle Sound/Roanoke River (AR) striped bass stocking program from 1981 to1996
ABSTRACT Groundwater provides many valuable services to society, especially as a source of irriga... more ABSTRACT Groundwater provides many valuable services to society, especially as a source of irrigation water. However, over-extraction and degradation threaten the ability of many groundwater systems to continue to provide such valuable services to society. As governments consider the costs and potential policy adjustments to address this issue, information on the benefits of maintaining these resources, or the damages associated with further degradation, can be helpful. Reported results from hedonic methods that have estimated the potential benefits of groundwater to irrigated agriculture, though, are rather mixed. While there are a number of reasons such disparities might arise across studies, a significant factor may be related to the quality of the groundwater, a somewhat surprisingly overlooked factor in these studies. The objective of this paper is to highlight the role of groundwater quality, and in particular salinity, in influencing the estimated value of groundwater to irrigated agriculture, using the hedonic valuation approach. Using a rich data set of parcel-level characteristics and market values for irrigated agricultural land located in California's Central Valley — an irrigation-intensive region with significant heterogeneity in both groundwater depth and salinity — we find that failure to include salinity as an argument explaining land values can lead to poor assessments as to the marginal value of the groundwater. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of accounting for the non-separability between groundwater depth, groundwater quality, and land values by showing how the marginal value of changes in groundwater and salinity are influenced by one another. Damages associated with projected increases in groundwater salinity by the year 2030 are estimated also.
Increasing aridity, more frequent and intense drought, and greater degrees of water scarcity crea... more Increasing aridity, more frequent and intense drought, and greater degrees of water scarcity create unique challenges for agriculture. In response to these challenges, which often manifest themselves as lower and more variable surface water supplies, as well as depleted and degraded ground water supplies, growers tend to seek opportunities to adapt. One option for growers to reduce their exposure to water scarcity and heightened uncertainty is to diversify. Indeed, access to a portfolio of supplies is one way in which water and irrigation districts, as well as individual growers, are responding to the changing landscape of water resource availability. This article evaluates the benefits to irrigated agriculture from having access to multiple sources of water. With farm‐level information on 1,900 agricultural parcels across California, we use the hedonic property value method to investigate the extent that growers benefit from having access to multiple sources of water (i.e., a water...
Water conservation in California has been a major subject of concern for agencies in their effort... more Water conservation in California has been a major subject of concern for agencies in their efforts to satisfy their residential demand while coping with frequent shortfalls, especially in periods of drought. During the 2012–2016 severe drought in California, the state enacted a conservation mandate that imposed specific conservation targets of 4% up to 36% for water utilities. While the utilities met those targets in 2015, water use, on average, has slowly crept up or rebounded subsequently, although not to pre‐drought levels. Understanding the manner and degree to which water use rebounds can be critically important for water utilities in their planning and investment decisions. Using a unique panel dataset on single‐family residential water use by nearly 20,000 customers of a Northern California water agency from 2013 to 2019, this paper explores the magnitude and character of the rebound effect that occurred after the cessation of a statewide conservation mandate that was imposed...
Growing deer populations are controlled through changes in hunting regulations including changes ... more Growing deer populations are controlled through changes in hunting regulations including changes in both hunter bag limits and season length. Such action results in direct benefits to hunters and indirect benefits to motorists and the agricultural sector as a lower deer population leads to fewer incidences of human-deer encounters. Traditional recreation demand models are often employed to examine the welfare implications of changes in daily hunting bag limits. Studies measuring the effects of changes in season length, however, are noticeably absent from the literature. This study uses a nested random utility model to examine hunter choice over site and season selection to derive the welfare implications of changes in season length.
ABSTRACT During the restoration planning phase of the natural resource damage assessment (NRDA) p... more ABSTRACT During the restoration planning phase of the natural resource damage assessment (NRDA) process, potential injuries to natural resources and services are evaluated in terms of the nature, degree and extent of injury so that the need for and scale of restoration actions can be ascertained. Injuries are quantified by comparing the condition of the injured natural resource relative to baseline (pre-injury) conditions. The “Type A” procedures are used to quantify damages from smaller spills and rely on a standardized methodology and computer model to calculate injury and value of damages. In this model, fishery stock changes from injuries and resulting changes in user participation are not treated as dynamic. If true stock growth and re-growth are indeed dynamic, then the Type A model is likely underestimating fishery losses. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the potential for such underestimation by comparing simulated stock and harvest losses under dynamic treatment and a static treatment that more closely represents the way stock and service losses are estimated under the current NRDA process.
Drainwater management strategies include source control, reuse, treatment, and evaporation ponds;... more Drainwater management strategies include source control, reuse, treatment, and evaporation ponds; questions of interest are efficient management, policy instruments, and sustainability. A high level of source control is indicated absent reuse due to the relatively high cost of evaporation ponds; this is accomplished largely through high uniformity/high cost irrigation systems. With reuse, the primary form of source control is reduction in land area devoted to freshwater production; the released land goes to reuse production. Reuse appears as an economically promising solution to the drainage problem. A high level of net returns is achieved while maintaining overall hydrologic balance in the system. Economic efficiency and hydrologic balance may be attained through pricing or market schemes. With pricing, growers are charged for deep percolations flows, while reuse and evaporation pond operators are paid for extractions. With markets, permit supply is generated by extractions from th...
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