Do all countries follow the same growth process?

We estimate a finite mixture model in which countries are sorted into groups based on the similarity of the conditional distributions of their growth rates. We strongly reject the hypothesis that all countries follow a common growth process in favor of a model in which there are two classes of countries, each with its own distinct growth process. Group membership does not conform to the usual categories used to control for parameter heterogeneity such as region or income. However, we find strong evidence that one country characteristic that helps to sort countries into different regimes is the quality of institutions, specifically, the degree of law and order. Once institutional features of the economy are controlled for, we find no evidence that geographic characteristics play a role in determining the country groupings.finite mixture models; multiple equilibria; institutional quality

Identity and environmentalism: the influence of community characteristics

This paper examines the influence of community characteristics on self-proclaimed environmentalism. We find that the composition of a community affects the likelihood that a person claims to be a strong environmentalist, even after controlling for individual characteristics and pro-environment behaviors. Individuals are more likely to definitely agree they are strong environmentalists if they live in areas where a large share of the population has post-graduate degrees and if they live in heavily Democratic areas or heavily Republican areas. These community effects occur only when individuals are predisposed to take on an environmental identity.identity; environmentalism; communicty effects

More information isn’t always better: the case of voluntary provision of environmental quality

This paper adds to the literature on the voluntary provision of public goods by showing that the warm glow that individuals gain depends on the perceived relative effectiveness of contributions. We use a new survey on pro-environment behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge and find that individuals act in accordance with their beliefs, regardless of whether or not these beliefs are accurate, and engage more frequently in activities that have a higher perceived impact on environmental quality. We find that low provision of the public good is greater among people who believe they cannot do much for the environment and do not consider themselves environmentalists.warm glow; environmental quality; public goods contributions

Heat waves, droughts, and preferences for environmental policy

Using data from a new household survey on environmental attitudes, behaviors, and policy preferences, we find that current weather conditions affect preferences for environmental regulation. Individuals who have recently experienced extreme weather (heat waves or droughts) are more likely to support laws to protect the environment even if it means restricting individual freedoms. We find evidence that the channel through which weather conditions affect policy preference is via perceptions of the importance of the issue of global warming. Furthermore, individuals who may be more sophisticated consumers of news are less likely to have their attitudes towards global warming changed by current weather conditions.environmental regulation; global warming; environmental attitudes

Design recommendations for the rehabilitation of an urban canyon in a subtropical climate region using aerial thermography and simulation tools

Outdoor public space is the setting for everyday social interaction where activities take place in order to satisfy collective urban needs. It is important to achieve climate-friendly urban design in order to ensure acceptable urban thermal comfort, especially in over-urbanised city centres during summer periods. In this research, an urban canyon street located in the historical centre of the subtropical city of Huelva (Spain) was analysed. After a survey carried out by in situ meteorological sensors and airborne infrared sensors (equipped on an unmanned aerial vehicle, UAV), the current thermal comfort was analysed in terms of PMV and PPD at different times of a typical summer day (11:00 h, 15:00 h and 19:00 h) with the aim of formulating design recommendations to improve its performance in terms of urban comfort. Then, thermal comfort was evaluated in different scenarios where feasible mitigation strategies (replacement of materiality, addition of vegetation and sun shading ele- ments) were applied to classify them according to their effectiveness using the ENVI-met simulation tool. The results of the current scenario showed that, due to its N-S orientation and its aspect ratio (H/W), the urban comfort depends drastically on the day hour variation. A comfortable thermal environment is achieved at all points of the urban canyon as a result of the shade generated by the buildings during the morning and afternoon. However, in the central hours of the day the feeling of thermal discomfort was alarming (PMV values of +3 and PPD values above 90%). The proposed mitigation measures showed a considerable improvement in urban thermal comfort, with the addition of vegetation being the most effective solution (with an improvement in PMV value of 42% and a reduction in PPD value of 43%). The combination of all the proposed measures in a single scenario showed encouraging results in the rehabilitation of public spaces in use.This work has been funded by the Research Center for Technology, Energy and Sustainability (CITES) at the University of Huelva. This work has been also funded by Proyecto SALTES (P20_00730): Smartgrid with reconfigurable Architecture for testing controL Techniques and Energy Storage priority. Programa Operativo FEDER 2014- 2020 Junta de Andalucia. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Huelva/CBUA

The quality of growth

We use latent class analysis to categorize development experiences. This technique allows us to consider a broad range of country characteristics including per capita income growth, health, inequality, environmental performance, and life satisfaction. We show that each of these indicators is important in explaining the classifications based on the quality of growth. We then predict membership in growth quality classes using many of the standard determinants of growth. We find that they are related to growth quality in a non-linear way and that population growth is more consistently related to our broader measure of growth quality than is typically found in standard growth regressions

More information isn’t always better: the case of voluntary provision of environmental quality

This paper adds to the literature on the voluntary provision of public goods by showing that the warm glow that individuals gain depends on the perceived relative effectiveness of contributions. We use a new survey on pro-environment behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge and find that individuals act in accordance with their beliefs, regardless of whether or not these beliefs are accurate, and engage more frequently in activities that have a higher perceived impact on environmental quality. We find that low provision of the public good is greater among people who believe they cannot do much for the environment and do not consider themselves environmentalists

Identity and environmentalism: the influence of community characteristics

This paper examines the influence of community characteristics on self-proclaimed environmentalism. We find that the composition of a community affects the likelihood that a person claims to be a strong environmentalist, even after controlling for individual characteristics and pro-environment behaviors. Individuals are more likely to definitely agree they are strong environmentalists if they live in areas where a large share of the population has post-graduate degrees and if they live in heavily Democratic areas or heavily Republican areas. These community effects occur only when individuals are predisposed to take on an environmental identity

Heat waves, droughts, and preferences for environmental policy

Using data from a new household survey on environmental attitudes, behaviors, and policy preferences, we find that current weather conditions affect preferences for environmental regulation. Individuals who have recently experienced extreme weather (heat waves or droughts) are more likely to support laws to protect the environment even if it means restricting individual freedoms. We find evidence that the channel through which weather conditions affect policy preference is via perceptions of the importance of the issue of global warming. Furthermore, individuals who may be more sophisticated consumers of news are less likely to have their attitudes towards global warming changed by current weather conditions