Credence attributes and land use: Eco-labeled coffee

International non-profit organizations have started to implement eco-labeling for credence attributes programs aimed to inform consumers about environmentally sound or sustainable production standards for various products. Using coffee labeled as shade grown as an example, this dissertation analyzes the impact such labeling programs may have on local land use patterns in coffee producing regions. Shade grown coffee farms should provide a variety of external benefits, including the preservation of biodiversity, carbon sequestration, the prevention of soil erosion and aquifer recharge. Those externalities, however, are not expected to have observable land use impacts unless they are capitalized in the coffee market. The prospect of market capitalization of externalities suggests the extension of the conventional von Thünen model to the calculation of social location rent. Using the maximization of social location rent as a criterion allows the externality effect to play a direct role in market-based land use allocation of land between eco-labeled shade grown coffee production and other activities. The theoretical models developed in this dissertation are informed by a case study focused on a coffee producing region in Guatemala. A major contribution of this research is the integration of eco-friendly production practices into the basic land use models of economic geography, namely the Ricardo and von Thünen models.

Credence attributes and land use: Eco-labeled coffee

International non-profit organizations have started to implement eco-labeling for credence attributes programs aimed to inform consumers about environmentally sound or sustainable production standards for various products. Using coffee labeled as shade grown as an example, this dissertation analyzes the impact such labeling programs may have on local land use patterns in coffee producing regions. Shade grown coffee farms should provide a variety of external benefits, including the preservation of biodiversity, carbon sequestration, the prevention of soil erosion and aquifer recharge. Those externalities, however, are not expected to have observable land use impacts unless they are capitalized in the coffee market. The prospect of market capitalization of externalities suggests the extension of the conventional von Thünen model to the calculation of social location rent. Using the maximization of social location rent as a criterion allows the externality effect to play a direct role in market-based land use allocation of land between eco-labeled shade grown coffee production and other activities. The theoretical models developed in this dissertation are informed by a case study focused on a coffee producing region in Guatemala. A major contribution of this research is the integration of eco-friendly production practices into the basic land use models of economic geography, namely the Ricardo and von Thünen models.

Human Rights and Public Opinion: From Attitudes to Action

This paper investigates American public opinion supporting human rights and willingness to engage in economic behavior consistent with such support. We look at three types of rights in particular: freedom of expression, freedom from torture, and the right to a guaranteed minimum standard of living. The current literature on human rights largely ignores public opinion, and vice versa. Based on our analysis of a 2006 national survey, we find that more Americans believe in a broader range of human rights (including economic rights) than has previously been assumed. We also find that most Americans report that they are willing to spend more on goods produced ethically and that those who are supportive of human rights may be more willing to pay for such goods. Our findings have implications for theories and practice of human rights, and for development of new markets for ethical consumption.: human rights, public opinion, sweatshops, fair trade