SABIIA - Sistema Aberto e Integrado de Informação em Agricultura (Sabiia)

Rolfe, John; Brouwer, Roy.

While meta-analysis is typically used to identify value estimates for benefit transfer, applications also provide insights into the potential influence of design, study and methodological factors on results of non-market valuation experiments. In this paper, a metaanalysis of sixteen separate choice modelling studies in Australia with 130 individual value estimates relating to river health are reported. The studies involved different measures and scales of river health, so consistency was generated by transforming implicit prices from each study into a common standard of WTP per kilometer of river in good health. Tobit models have been used to identify the relationships between the dependent variable (WTP/km) and a number of variables. The results...

Tipo: Report

Palavras-chave: Non-market valuation; Choice modelling; Meta analysis; River health; Environmental Economics and Policy.

Ano: 2011

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/107744

Using focus groups to design a choice modelling questionnaire for estimating natural resource management benefits in NSW

Testing for differences in benefit transfer values between state and regional frameworks

In this study, focus group discussions were used to design a choice modelling (CM) questionnaire to estimate community wide values for the environmental and social benefits provided by natural resource management changes in the Namoi, Lachlan and Hawkesbury-Nepean catchments. This report describes the logistics of the focus groups and outlines the main conclusions drawn from the discussions. The research team conducted eight focus groups in the main urban areas of the regions where the CM survey will be conducted (Tamworth, Cowra, Goulburn and Sydney). How the CM questionnaire was developed with focus group participant input is also discussed in the report. The focus group meetings resulted in a draft questionnaire to be refined in consultation with...

Tipo: Report

Palavras-chave: Focus groups; Choice modelling; Questionnaire design; Natural resource management.; Environmental Economics and Policy; Land Economics/Use; Research Methods/ Statistical Methods.

Ano: 2008

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/94801

Rolfe, John; Windle, Jill.

Policy makers are often interested in transferring non-market estimates of environmental values from a ‘source’ study to predict economic values at a ‘target’ site. While most applications of the benefit transfer process involve an opportunistic search for suitable source studies, there are some examples available of more systematic approaches to developing a framework of values for benefit transfer processes. A key issue in developing such a framework is to deal with adjustment factors, where value estimates might vary systematically according to the context of the trade-offs. Previous research has identified that large differences in scope, such as between national and regional contexts, do affect values and hence benefit transfer. The research reported...

Tipo: Article

Palavras-chave: Benefit transfer; Choice modelling; Environmental valuation; Resource /Energy Economics and Policy.

Ano: 2008

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/118536

The Effects of a Provision Rule in Choice Modelling

Investigating distance effects on environmental values: a choice modelling approach

This research report investigates the effects of including a provision rule in choice modelling non-market valuation studies. Split samples with and without a provision rule were used to test for differences in household willingness-to-pay for improvements in environmental quality in the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment. Local/rural and distant/urban sub-samples of residents were selected. The results of the study show that the inclusion of a provision rule had an effect on preferences in the distant/urban communities; however, the impact of a provision rule in the local/rural community sub-samples was negligible.

Tipo: Report

Palavras-chave: Choice modelling; Incentive comparability; Provision rule; Non-market valuation; Environment; Environmental Economics and Policy; Research Methods/ Statistical Methods.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/94945

Consumer attitudes toward GM food with hypothetical functional characteristics

Concu, Giovanni B..

Analysis of the relationship between distance and willingness to pay (WTP) is important for estimation and transfer of environmental benefits. Several contingent valuation (CV) studies have investigated this topic, but results are mixed. This paper describes a choice modelling (CM) application that estimates distance effects on parameters of three environmental attributes. Combinations of these attributes create different management policies for native vegetation. The CM study is based on a sampling procedure that provides a geographically balanced sample and statistical tests to choose the best specification of the distance–WTP relationship. Welfare analysis shows that disregarding distance causes under-estimation of individual and aggregated benefits and...

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: Choice modelling; Geographical distance; Spatial heterogeneity; Stratified sample; Environmental Economics and Policy; Resource /Energy Economics and Policy.

Ano: 2007

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/118326

Marin, Floriana; Notaro, Sandra.

Since their introduction in the early 1990s, genetically modified organisms in agriculture tended to emphasize improved yield. Europeans, perceiving unacceptable risk and too little benefit, resoundingly disapproved of GMO use in agro-food processes. More recently, research has turned to developing products that use GMO components that better match consumer interest, including nutritionally enhanced foods, environmentally friendly crops, and other areas. The question that arises is whether Europeans perceive that the new, prospective benefits outweigh the olds risks, opening the market to such products. This paper investigates consumer preferences for a number of hypothetical genetic modifications in a widely consumed food product: yoghurt. We explore the...

Protecting the Booroolong Frog in the Namoi Catchment: A Cost-Benefit Analysis

Palavras-chave: GMOs; Functional properties; Willingness to pay; Choice modelling; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety.

Ano: 2007

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/7878

Greyling, Tertius; Bennett, Jeffrey W..

The Booroolong frog project in the Namoi Catchment represents an environmental investment to protect the species and around 10.7 kilometres of its habitat in the catchment. The project’s benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 8.6 indicates that the benefits outweigh the costs by a significant margin. The measures introduced by landholders, at relatively low cost, should therefore result in a significant return on investment upon project completion in 10 years time. The benefits are estimated using a choice modelling study which was recently developed for the valuation of investment in natural resource management in the Namoi Catchment. As this is a largely ex ante cost-benefit analysis, the BCR is subject to uncertainty associated with assumptions which had to be...

Tipo: Report

Palavras-chave: Cost-benefit analysis; Benefit-cost ratio; Choice modelling; Booroolong Frog; Namoi Catchment; Environmental Economics and Policy; Research Methods/ Statistical Methods.

Ano: 2011

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/107851

Developing a benefit transfer database for environmental values in Queensland

Windle, Jill; Rolfe, John.

made in one situation to related circumstances. The benefit transfer process is typically reliant on the availability of a number of source studies which have appropriate levels of reliability and relevance to the issue of interest. However, the limited number of non-market valuation studies to draw on for source values currently limits the benefit transfer process. In this paper, an alternative approach to benefit transfer is outlined where a series of valuation studies were specifically performed to build a reference data base of values for benefit transfer purposes. The choice modelling technique was used to estimate community values for protecting soil, water and vegetation stocks in Queensland, Australia, where both state and regional populations were...

Public values for improved water security for domestic and environmental use

Palavras-chave: Benefit transfer; Environmental valuation; Choice modelling; Environmental Economics and Policy.

Ano: 2007

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10369

Valuation of Tourism's Natural Resources

Windle, Jill; Rolfe, John; Brouwer, Roy.

Metrics for evaluating environmental trade-offs can be developed with varying levels of consistency across case study sites. A key issue is whether standard evaluation experiments can be conducted over multiple sites, or whether experiments have to be tailored to each case study application. To test how useful a consistent approach is, choice modelling (CM) has been used in a number of countries. Choice modelling assess the trade-offs households are prepared to make between water use restrictions, maintaining environmental conditions in waterways, and increased water costs. This research paper reports the results of the Queensland survey. The results show that it is not possible to downplay case study framing issues and that it is not appropriate to...

Tipo: Report

Palavras-chave: Choice modelling; Water; Environment; Framing; Environmental Economics and Policy; Resource /Energy Economics and Policy.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/94818

Scale and scope effects on communities’ values for environmental improvements in the Namoi catchment: A choice modelling approach

Tisdell, Clement A..

Discusses the implications of the economic valuation of natural resources used for tourism and relates this valuation to the concept of total economic valuation. It demonstrates how applications of the concept of total economic valuation can be supportive of the conservation of natural resources used for tourism. Techniques for valuing tourism’s natural resources are then outlined and critically evaluated. Consideration is given to travel cost methods, contingent valuation methods, and hedonic pricing approaches before concentrating on current developments of valuation techniques, such as choice modelling. The general limitations of existing methods are considered and it is argued that more attention should be given to developing guidelines that will...

Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper

Palavras-chave: Tourism; Natural resources; Travel cost methods; Contingent valuation methods; Choice modelling; Environmental Economics and Policy; Resource /Energy Economics and Policy.

Ano: 2003

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/48962

Public values for improved water security for domestic and environmental use

This report presents results of research designed to investigate variations in willingness to pay (WTP) estimates across different scales and scopes of environmental investments. The goal is to help catchment management authorities better prioritise their natural resource management actions at both catchment and farm levels. Five split samples were used to test for scale and scope effects. A choice-modelling (CM) analysis was used to elicit household WTP for improvements in environmental quality attributes in the Namoi catchment. The approach was developed so that value estimates could be more accurately transferred between different action scopes.

Tipo: Report

Palavras-chave: Choice modelling; Scale effect; Scope effect; Embedding; Non-market valuation; Catchment planning; Environment.; Community/Rural/Urban Development; Environmental Economics and Policy; Research Methods/ Statistical Methods.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/94891

Windle, Jill; Rolfe, John; Brouwer, Roy.

A choice modelling valuation exercise was recently undertaken across several countries to assess the tradeoffs that households are prepared to make between water use restrictions, maintaining environmental condition in waterways, and increased water costs. The results from the Queensland survey are reported in this paper. Also discussed are some of the tradeoffs involved in assuring the integrity of an international survey while retaining sufficient local context to make the choice modelling exercise both realistic and meaningful.

WTP and WTA in relation to irrigation development in the Fitzroy Basin, Queensland

Palavras-chave: Choice modelling; Water scarcity; Water use tradeoffs; International survey; Resource /Energy Economics and Policy; Environmental Economics and Policy.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/47627

Rolfe, John; Bennett, Jeffrey W..

Estimates of the compensating surplus generated by changes in non-marketed environmental amenities can be estimated using stated preference valuation techniques. These are typically framed in terms of WTP tradeoffs, even if the situation of interest involves a property right vestment that calls for a WTA question. The differences created by the two questioning formats are explored in this paper using the results of two choice modelling applications. Both applications were framed on the potential for irrigation development and environmental losses in the Fitzroy River Basin, Central Queensland. The scenarios used in the applications differed only in that they used alternatively WTP and WTA questioning formats. The results indicate that robust models could...

Environmental economics and valuation: towards a practical investment framework for Catchment Management Authorities in New South Wales

Palavras-chave: Choice modelling; Compensating surplus; WTP; WTA; Research Methods/ Statistical Methods.

Ano: 2003

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/58204

Farquharson, Robert J.; Hill, Christine M.; Bennett, Jeffrey W.; Tracey, Jacqueline.

The Catchment Management Authorities in New South Wales have programs that are collectively investing $436 million over four years to achieve catchment-wide natural resource/environmental improvements. In this paper, we consider the question of how to best allocate these resources so as to increase the well-being of the public within catchments and the state. We consider the current approaches used by CMAs and make a case for Benefit-Cost Analysis as an alternative means of assessing ex ante questions of priority setting at the catchment level and for project appraisal. A major issue for BCA is the estimation of potential benefits from project investments, particularly the estimation of values that catchment communities and those living outside the...

Choice modelling in the development of natural resource management strategies in NSW

Palavras-chave: Environmental; Economics; Choice modelling; Non-use values; Investment framework; Environmental Economics and Policy.

Ano: 2007

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10404

Capturing Preference Heterogeneity in Stated Choice Models: A Random Parameter Logit Model of the Demand for GM Food

Protecting environmental services generates social benefits. At the same time, private landholders supplying these benefits may face some costs. To provide these services efficiently, policy makers need information about community values for the environment as well as landholders’ costs. This study explores how choice modelling (a non-market valuation technique) is used to estimate comment values. These include use and non-use values for increasing environmental quality in NSW catchments. Non-market valuation techniques for estimating environmental values are reviewed. This is followed by a discussion of methodological aspects of the choice modelling technique and its potential as a regional planning tool for Catchment Management Authorities (CMA’s)

Tipo: Report

Palavras-chave: Nonmarket valuation; Choice modelling; Trade-offs; Bio-physical modelling; Environmental Economics and Policy; Land Economics/Use.

Ano: 2008

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/94716

Rigby, Dan; Burton, Michael P..

Analyses of data from random utility models of choice data have typically used fixed parameter representations, with consumer heterogeneity introduced by including factors such as the age, gender etc of the respondent. However, there is a class of models that assume that the underlying parameters of the estimated model (and hence preferences) are different for each individual within the sample, and that choices can be explained by identifying the parameters of the distribution from which they are drawn. Such a random parameter model is applied to stated choice data from the UK, and the results compared with standard fixed parameter models. The results provide new evidence of preferences for various aspects of the UK food system, particularly in relation to...

Diversification choices in agriculture: a Choice Modelling case study of sugarcane growers

Palavras-chave: Random parameter logit; Choice modelling; GMOs; Food safety; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety.

Ano: 2003

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/58200

Windle, Jill; Rolfe, John.

Growers in the sugarcane industry have been struggling under financial pressure for several years. One option to improve farm viability might be to diversify farm enterprise income. Choice Modelling, an economic valuation technique, was used to explore the trade-offs growers make between different attributes of diversification, and how their choices may be related to certain socio-economic characteristics. Application of the technique involved surveys of cane growers in three regions of Central Queensland. This is a novel approach to assessing grower intentions that has the potential to reveal detailed information about influences on grower choices.

Tipo: Article

Palavras-chave: Choice modelling; Farm diversification; Sugarcane growers; Farm Management.

Ano: 2005

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/118437

Location differences in communities’ preferences for environmental improvements in selected NSW catchments: A Choice Modelling approach

A choice modelling (CM) study was conducted to elicit household willingness to pay (WTP) for improvements in environmental quality in three NSW catchments (Lachlan, Namoi and Hawkesbury-Nepean). This paper presents results of research designed to investigate variations in WTP across different communities including local residents, distant/urban and distant/rural residents. Nine split samples were established to test for ‘location effect’. The analysis involved both conditional logit and random parameters logit models.

Policy responses to invasive native species: issues of social and private benefits and costs

Palavras-chave: Choice modelling; Location effects; Non-market valuation; Catchment planning; Environment 1.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/47946

Farquharson, Robert J.; Kelly, Jason A.; Welsh, Pam; Mazur, Kasia; Bennett, Jeffrey W..

Farm and catchment managers in Australia face decisions about controlling invasive native species (or scrub) which may infest agricultural land. The treatment of this land to remove the infestation and re-establish native pastures is likely to be expensive for landholders. Yet there are potential social benefits from such remediation and so a policy question arises of what to do to about facilitating such change. New South Wales state government legislation addresses this issue through regulations, and the Catchment Management Authorities are responsible for administering public funds to achieve associated natural resource improvements. However, the extent of the private costs and social benefits associated with such changes are not known, which precludes...

Exploring Scope and Scale Issues in Choice Modelling Design

Palavras-chave: Invasive native scrub; Environmental values; Choice modelling; Financial; Economic; Namoi catchment.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/48157