Differential Influence of Relative Poverty on Preferences for Ecosystem Services: Evidence from Rural Indonesia

Ecosystem services generate benefits that enter human consumption either directly or indirectly via their contribution to human production activities. In this contribution, we provide evidence that (i) the demand of peasants for ecosystem services in rural Indonesia depends on relative poverty; and that (ii) the type of reaction to poverty depends on the specific relation of the ecosystem services to peasant production and consumption. In early 2005 a representative choice experiment study was conducted in the Lore Lindu area in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, to quantify regional economic preferences (marginal willingessto- pay: MWTP) for four different ecosystem services (n=249; rattan and water availability, shading in cacao agroforestry, population size of the endemic forest dwelling dwarf buffalo "anoa"). Relative poverty was calculated with the 2005 data using a 0,1-normally distributed relative poverty index developed from a socio-demographic household survey administered to the same sample in 2004. For shading in cocoa, a linearly decreasing trend is observed indicating a stronger preference for "sun-grown" cocoa in the less poor farmers indicating a constant poverty elasticity of WTP. The empirical poverty elasticity for anoa supports its luxury good characteristic only in part. For rattan and water, we find an inverted U-shape relation between MWTP for ecosystem services and relative poverty - probably due to serious restrictions in the ability to pay in the poorest households and a smaller resource dependency in the less poor households. In sum, the relationship between relative poverty and MWTP for ecosystem services appears more complex than classical micro-economic theory admits.Relative poverty, Choice experiment, ecosystem services, environmental valuation, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Q21, Q51, Q56, Q57,

Protest Responses and Willingness to Accept: Ecosystem Services Providers’ Preferences towards Incentive-Based Schemes

The identification and treatment of protest responses in stated preference surveys has long been subject to debate. We analyse protest responses while investigating ecosystem services providers’ preferences for incentive-based schemes. We use a choice experiment for olive farmers’ preferences for agri-environmental scheme participation in southern Spain. Our two main objectives are: first, to identify and discuss a range of possible motives for protest responses that emerge in a WTA context; second, we analyse the impact on WTA estimates of censoring serial non-participation linked to protest or high compensation requirements (very high takers). Using a random parameter logit model in WTA space, we find that the inclusion or exclusion of serial non-participants in the analysis can have a significant impact on marginal and total WTA estimates. Based on the findings, the paper makes recommendations on how to reduce the incidence of protest responses through survey design, regarding the identification of protesters as opposed to very high takers, and regarding the treatment of both groups of respondents for WTA estimation

How consumers in the UK and Spain value the coexistence of the claims low fat, local, organic and low greenhouse gas emissions

This study investigates the substitution and complementary effects for beef mince attributes drawing on data from large choice experiments conducted in the UK and Spain. In both countries, consumers were found to be willing to pay a price premium for the individual use of the labels “Low Fat” (UK: €3.41, Spain: €1.94), “Moderate Fat” (UK: €2.23, Spain: €1.57), “Local” (UK: €1.54, Spain: €1.61), “National” (UK: €1.33, Spain: €1.37), “Organic” (UK: €1.02, Spain: €1.09) and “Low Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG)” (UK: €2.05, Spain: €0.96). The results showed that consumers in both countries do not treat desirable food attributes as unrelated. In particular, consumers in Spain are willing to pay a price premium for the use of the labels “Local”, “Organic” and “Low GHG” on beef mince that is also labelled as having low or moderate fat contentThis research was funded by the Scottish Government as part of the 2016–2021 Research Program on Food Security (Workpackage 3.3)Postprint (published version

How Consumers in the UK and Spain Value the Coexistence of the Claims Low Fat, Local, Organic and Low Greenhouse Gas Emissions

This study investigates the substitution and complementary effects for beef mince attributes drawing on data from large choice experiments conducted in the UK and Spain. In both countries, consumers were found to be willing to pay a price premium for the individual use of the labels “Low Fat” (UK: €3.41, Spain: €1.94), “Moderate Fat” (UK: €2.23, Spain: €1.57), “Local” (UK: €1.54, Spain: €1.61), “National” (UK: €1.33, Spain: €1.37), “Organic” (UK: €1.02, Spain: €1.09) and “Low Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG)” (UK: €2.05, Spain: €0.96). The results showed that consumers in both countries do not treat desirable food attributes as unrelated. In particular, consumers in Spain are willing to pay a price premium for the use of the labels “Local”, “Organic” and “Low GHG” on beef mince that is also labelled as having low or moderate fat content. By contrast, consumers in the UK were found to discount the coexistence of the labels “Low Fat” and “Organic”, “Low Fat” and “Low GHG” and “Moderate Fat” and “Low GHG”. The results, however, suggest that in the UK the demand for beef mince with moderate (low) fat content can be increased if it is also labelled as “Organic” or “Low GHG” (“Local”)

From welcome culture to welcome limits? Uncovering preference changes over time for sheltering refugees in Germany

Europe recently experienced a large influx of refugees, spurring much public debate about the admission and integration of refugees and migrants into society. Previous research based on cross-sectional data found that European citizens generally favour asylum seekers with high employability, severe vulnerabilities, and Christians over Muslims. These preferences and attitudes were found to be homogeneous across countries and socio-demographic groups. Here, we do not study the general acceptance of asylum seekers, but the acceptance of refugee and migrant homes in citizens' vicinity and how it changes over time. Based on a repeated stated choice experiment on preferences for refugee and migrant homes, we show that the initially promoted "welcome culture" towards refugees in Germany was not reflected in the views of a majority of a sample of German citizens who rather disapproved refugee homes in their vicinity. Their preferences have not changed between November 2015, the peak of "welcome culture," and November 2016, after political debates, media reporting and public discourse had shifted towards limiting admission of immigrants. A minority of one fifth of the sample population, who were initially rather approving of refugee and migrant homes being established in their vicinity, were more likely to change their preferences towards a rather disapproving position in 2016. Experience of contact with refugees and migrants, higher education, and general pro-immigration attitudes explain acceptance of refugee and migrant homes as well as preference stability over time. Country of origin and religion of refugees and migrants are considered less important than decent housing conditions and whether refugee and migrants arrive as families or single persons. In this respect our results highlight the importance of humanitarian aspects of sheltering and integration of refugees and other migrants into society

Valuing water : a global survey of the values that underpin water decisions

Valuing water is gaining popularity among policymakers and academics as a new water management paradigm. However, there is a lack of clarity about how to translate this paradigm into practice. We propose a multifaceted approach to valuing water that considers not just the values that people assign to water, such as its uses and benefits, but also broader personal guiding principles (e.g., security) and governance-related values (e.g., social justice) that underpin decision-making about water. Using an interdisciplinary conceptual framework and data from a global survey among water professionals (N = 293), we provide the first empirical evidence showing how preferences among three archetypical perspectives on water management – (1) controlling water flows through engineering solutions; (2) managing water through market-based mechanisms; (3) working with natural water ecosystems – can be explained by different types of values held by respondents, despite the enormous diversity among water management contexts around the world. The valuing water paradigm thus has an expressly political dimension to it; applying it makes explicit how water management decisions are informed by and may reinforce some values and weaken others. As such, it can be a useful diagnostic in the context of water conflicts, to help understand how decisions about water are linked to different stakeholder groups’ values. Valuing water may thus involve balancing conceptually contrasting values and preferences. It also requires the development and application of mechanisms and institutions for effective stakeholder participation in decision-making, especially in the context of significant power differentials between relevant stakeholders.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe