Rural soldiers continue to account for disproportionately high share of U.S. casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan

When the nation goes to war, all Americans are expected to make sacrifices. Today\u27s rural Americans, however, have fewer job opportunities within their communities, and are joining the military at higher rates. In turn, rural communities are facing military losses in disproportionate numbers to their urban counterparts

U.S. rural soldiers account for a disproportionately high share of casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan

A study by the Carsey Institute found that among U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, those who are from rural America are dying at a higher rate than those soldiers who are from cities and suburbs. According to U.S. Department of Defense records, rural youth enlist in the military at a higher rate than urban and suburban youth and in all but eight states, soldiers from rural areas make up a disproportionately high share of the casualties

Experience, Expectations and Hindsight: Evidence of a Cognitive Wedge in Stated Preference Retrospectives

This paper combines fishing trip decisions - made before observing trip outcomes - with responses to set of double-bounded dichotomous choice CV questions regarding the outcome of the trip, to explore cognitive elements of choice and their implications for decision modeling and welfare analysis. Extending the approach taken by McConnell et al. (1999), wherein the unobserved component of random utility is linked between the trip decision and the retrospective trip evaluation, we decompose the unobserved component into linked and independent elements, and make the linked component a function of cognitive factors hypothesized as affecting differences between the RP and SP responses. Results suggest that a significant "wedge" exists between the closely related trip decision and its retrospective valuation, and that this wedge is not fully explained by factors such as experience, recall, and unobserved time costs.

Valuing a Spatially Diverse Non-Market Good: The Benefits of Reduced Non-Point Source Pollution in Green Bay, WI

This article presents an empirical approach to correcting for spatial interactions in stated preference data when valuing large-scale, spatially variable environmental improvements. This approach is presented in the context of a contingent valuation study estimating the benefits of reduced non-point source pollution in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The significant spatial variation of water clarity conditions in this large water body was captured using satellite-derived GIS data. This article focuses on two significant challenges: first, ensuring respondents are adequately informed of how the proposed change will impact their individual utility stream; second, dealing with the spatial effects within the estimation model. The GIS water clarity data were used to measure the initial conditions faced by each individual parcel. Including this information in the analysis significantly increased the estimated expected WTP of some individuals but decreased that of others. Some of the difference in aggregated benefits is likely due to issues of spatial correlation between properties that is unaccounted for in the simpler models.Water quality, non-point source pollution, contingent valuation, spatial correlation, Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Valuing a Spatially Variable Environmental Resource: Reducing Non-point Source Pollution in Green Bay, WI

This article investigates the value of reducing non-point source pollution in Green Bay, WI. Using stated preference methods, we find the lower bound on the benefits of reducing runoff enough to universally increase water clarity by four feet is greater than $9 million annually. Using a unique survey design, we show that because current water clarity in Green Bay is spatially variable, the value that a household places on this universal improvement depends on the distance of the household's residence from the Bay and on the particular geospatial location of the residence. This has important implications for estimating aggregate benefits.

U.S. Rural Soldiers Account for a Disproportionately High Share of Casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan

In time of war, all Americans are expected to sacrifice and rural Americans have always stepped forward to do their part in past wars and national emergencies. However, as the data presented here attests, today rural Americans are paying the ultimate sacrifice in disproportionately high numbers. Examination of deaths based on hometown in the Department of Defense records shows soldiers from rural America are dying at a higher rate than soldiers from big cities and suburbs. In all but eight states, soldiers from rural areas1 make up a disproportionately high share of casualties. The high death rate for soldiers from rural areas is linked to the higher rate of enlistment of young adults from rural America. The higher rates of enlistment in the Armed Forces among rural youth are possibly linked to diminished opportunities there. Transitioning from youth to adulthood is more problematic in rural U.S. because there are fewer job opportunities. Young adults in rural areas are less able to secure a foothold in the economy. Among employed young adults (age 18 to 24) only 24 percent of those in rural areas are working full-time year-round, compared to 29 percent of those in cities and suburbs

Accounting for Respondent Uncertainty to Improve Willingness-to-Pay Estimates

In this paper we develop an econometric model of willingness to pay that integrates data on respondent uncertainty regarding their own willingness to pay. The integration is utility consistent and does not involve calibrating the contingent responses to actual payment data, and so the approach can "stand alone". In an application to a valuation study related to whooping crane restoration, we find that this model generates a statistically lower expected WTP than the standard CV model. Moreover, the WTP function estimated with this model is not statistically different from that estimated using actual payment data, suggesting that when properly analyzed using data on respondent uncertainty, contingent valuation decisions can simulate actual payment decisions. This method allows for more reliable estimates of WTP that incorporates respondent uncertainty without the need for collecting comparable actual payment data.

Rural Soldiers Continue to Account for a Disproportionately High Share of U.S. Casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan

When the country goes to war, all Americans are expected to make sacrifices and rural Americans have always stepped forward to do their part in past wars and national emergencies. However, as the data presented here attests, today's rural Americans are making the ultimate sacrifice in disproportionately high numbers. Examination of deaths based on hometown in the Department of Defense records shows soldiers from rural America are dying at a higher rate than soldiers from big cities and suburbs. In most states, soldiers from rural areas make up a disproportionately high share of casualties

Book Review: A Legal Guide to Urban and Sustainable Development for Planners, Developers and Architects

This newly published book is much more than the title implies. More than a legal text or reference detailing the various requirements, pitfalls and strategies associated with contemporary development patterns, it is a survey of real-world design, development, operating and management experience from a wide range of professional perspectives. As the authors write, “This book is mostly about the practical application of realworld legal solutions to typical problems encountered in building urban and sustainable development.