The Structure of Rural Landscape in Monetary Evaluation Studies: Main Analytical Approaches in Literature

Over recent years considerable research has been devoted to the assessment of the rural landscape value. These studies have concerned both use and non-use value estimation. An important issue in monetary evaluations is about taking (or not) into account the structural complexity of landscape. Three analytical approaches may be recognized on the basis of whether landscape structural attributes are involved (global, mono-attribute and multi-attribute approach). The present work is part of a research aimed to seek out rational instruments for guidance policies on rural landscape. It consists in a survey of the main studies appeared in literature. The specific purpose is to classify these empirical analyses in accordance both to the approaches mentioned above and to the landscape typologies (agricultural or forestry) involved.rural landscape, structural attributes, landscape demand, contingent valuation models, choice experiment, Land Economics/Use, Q26,

The Profile of a “Warm-Glower”: A Note on Consumer’s Behavior and Public Policy Implications

The paper focuses on the ongoing debate on non-market valuation, including the valuation environmental goods, and the opportunity to use contingent valuation for policy guidance. In fact, contingent valuation critics argue that reported willingness to pay answers do not reflect real economic preferences and, for this reason, should not be used in cost-benefit analysis The attempt to contravene such critique finds many supporters. This paper starts from the latter stream of research and adds two original contributions. First, it sheds light on the individual warm glow motivational profile, exploring the empirical relationship between individual’s socio-economic characteristics and warm glow. Second, it discusses some implications of the presence of warm glow for public policy.Economic value, Contingent valuation, Willingness to pay; Latent factor, Consumer motivations, Warm glow, Ego driven warm glow, Social oriented warm glow, Public policy design

Alternative Payment Vehicles in Contingent Valuation: The Case of Genetically Modified Foods

In this paper, a secondary consumer food survey is used to explore the role of the payment vehicle in contingent valuation. More specifically, the paper investigates the household willingness-to-pay in the UK for a GM and non-GM labelling program under two alternative payment vehicles: 1) a standard product tax, under which consumers must trade-off some of their personal income for the labelling program; and 2) a taxation reallocation scheme, whereby consumers must trade-off some amount of their household’s taxation money that is currently spent on other government-funded goods. Contrary to previous valuation research, the willingness-to-pay under each vehicle is not found to be statistically significantly different, suggesting that in the case study investigated here, the marginal values of private income and other public goods in the UK are approximately equal.Payment Vehicles; Contingent Valuation:

Actividad comercial y uso del espacio público en los centros urbanos : un análisis clúster

La relación entre espacio público y actividad comercial es constitutiva en los centros urbanos. De este modo, los establecimientos se concentran en espacios urbanos de mayor atracción (calles comerciales, centros comerciales y mercados) y también forman parte de los procesos socioespaciales de dichos entornos. El objetivo de este artículo es analizar el papel de la actividad comercial en el uso del espacio público basándonos en la dimensión humana del urbanista Jan Gehl (2010). Para ello se utilizan las variables del censo de la actividad comercial, flujos de peatones y la caracterización física de las calles de los siete centros urbanos trabajados. De esta manera, se obtendrán resultados del análisis clúster que evidencian las múltiples relaciones entre los distintos usos comerciales, los rasgos de las calles y su espacio público y el paso diario de peatones, así como la naturaleza independiente y explicativa que ha mostrado esta última variable en el análisis.La relació entre espai públic i activitat comercial és constitutiva als centres urbans. D'aquesta manera, els establiments es concentren en espais urbans amb més atracció (carrers comercials, centres comercials i mercats) i també formen part dels processos socioespacials d'aquests entorns. L'objectiu d'aquest article és analitzar el paper de l'activitat comercial en l'ús de l'espai públic basant-nos en la dimensió humana de l'urbanista Jan Gehl (2010). Per fer-ho s'utilitzen les variables del cens de l'activitat comercial, fluxos de vianants i la caracterització física dels carrers dels set centres urbans treballats. D'aquesta manera s'obtindran resultats de l'anàlisi clúster que evidencien les múltiples relacions entre els diferents usos comercials, els trets dels carrers i el seu espai públic i el pas diari de vianants, així com la naturalesa independent i explicativa que ha mostrat aquesta darrera variable en l'anàlisi.The relationship between public space and commercial activity is essential in urban centres. Thus, establishments are concentrated in urban spaces of greater attraction (shopping streets, shopping centres and markets) and are also part of the socio-spatial processes of these environments. The objective of this article is to analyse the role of commercial activity in the use of public space based on the human dimension of the urban planner Jan Gehl (2010). For this, the variables of the census of commercial activity, pedestrian flows and the physical characterization of the streets of the seven urban centres studied are used. Thus, the results of the cluster analysis will be obtained to show the multiple relationships between the different commercial uses, the features of the streets and their public space and daily pedestrian flow, as well as the independent and explanatory nature that this last variable has shown in the analysis

Personality and economic choices

There is substantial variation in individual preferences for public goods, yet much of that variation remains poorly understood. However, simple measures of personality can help to explain economic values and choices in a systematic way. In this paper, we examine the effects of personality on individual economic choices over public environmental goods. Based on three datasets from three separate stated preference studies, we use a hybrid choice econometric framework to examine the effects of personality on preferences for the status quo, changes in environmental quality, and costs of investing in environmental improvements. We find effects that are consistent across all datasets. Personality, a stable feature of an individual's character that is simple to measure, enriches explanations of why the demand for environmental goods varies across people, provides an indication of how different people are likely to react to the introduction of environmental policies, and explains substantial differences in Willingness to Pay

A pathway to identifying and valuing cultural ecosystem services: an application to marine food webs

Beyond recreation, little attention has been paid thus far to economically value Cultural Ecosystem Services (CESs), especially in the context of coastal or marine environment. This paper develops and tests a pathway to the identification and economic valuation of CESs. The pathway enables researchers to make more explicit, and to economically value, cultural dimensions of environmental change. We suggest that the valuation process includes a simultaneous development of the scenarios of environmental change including related biophysical impacts, and a documentation of culture-environment linkages. A well-defined ecosystem service typology is also needed to classify cultural-ecological linkages as specific CESs. The pathway then involves the development of detailed, multidimensional depictions of the culture-environment linkages for use in a stated preference survey. The anticipated CES interpretations should be confirmed through debriefing questions in the survey questionnaire. The proposed approach is demonstrated with a choice experiment-based case study in Turkey that focuses improvements to the food web of the Black Sea. The results of this study indicate that economic preferences for CESs other than recreation can be estimated in a way that is economically consistent using the proposed approach

Valutazione economica della biodiversità marina e costiera nel Nord Adriatico: situazione socio-economica dell’area considerata e trasferimento del beneficio

This report assess the monetary valuation of non-use values of marine and coastal biodiversity in North Adriatic Sea by using the technique of the benefit transfer. In addition to non-use values, it is possible to infer to use values through the analysis of economic activities and phenomena linked to marine and coastal biodiversity

Alternative Payment Vehicles in Contingent Valuation: The Case of Genetically Modified Foods

In this paper, a secondary consumer food survey is used to explore the role of the payment vehicle in contingent valuation. More specifically, the paper investigates the household willingness-to-pay in the UK for a GM and non-GM labelling program under two alternative payment vehicles: 1) a standard product tax, under which consumers must trade-off some of their personal income for the labelling program; and 2) a taxation reallocation scheme, whereby consumers must trade-off some amount of their household’s taxation money that is currently spent on other government-funded goods. Contrary to previous valuation research, the willingness-to-pay under each vehicle is not found to be statistically significantly different, suggesting that in the case study investigated here, the marginal values of private income and other public goods in the UK are approximately equal

Avaliação dos benefícios da reabilitação de rios: potencial para aplicação da transferência de benefícios

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Gestão e Políticas AmbientaisComo bem escasso que é, a água tem um valor económico e um custo de oportunidade associados, pelo que, qualquer projecto de reabilitação de ecossistemas ribeirinhos degradados deverá ser analisado, não só do ponto de vista ambiental e sócio-cultural, mas também sob o ponto de vista económico. A reabilitação de linhas de água tem implicações económicas positivas, uma vez que fornece às populações um conjunto de benefícios ambientais, aqui definidos como valores de uso (oportunidades recreativas, actividades económicas, controlo de cheias, investigação e educação ambiental) e valores de não-uso (biodiversidade). Torna-se assim importante a avaliação destes benefícios, raramente avaliados ao nível local, através de métodos de avaliação económica, que avaliam as preferências dos indivíduos. No presente trabalho, para além da definição dos bens e serviços ambientais, que devem ser integrados num processo de reabilitação de rios à escala local, é proposta uma metodologia para estimar, de forma expedita e com baixos recursos, os benefícios associados a projectos de reabilitação de rios, através da utilização do método de Transferência de Benefícios, possibilitando a avaliação de custo-benefício dos projectos. Esta metodologia foi ilustrada com sucesso, no projecto de reabilitação de um troço do rio Uíma, afluente do rio Douro