Do protest responses to a contingent valuation question and a choice experiment differ?

It is suggested that the number of protest responses in stated preference surveys depends, inter alia, on the valuation method used. Choice Experiments (CE) are said to generate a lower number of protest responses than Contingent Valuation (CV). However, no comparison of both methods with respect to protest responses has been conducted to date. We used both CE and CV in a survey on forest biodiversity in two German regions. Protest beliefs were measured for all respondents irrespective of whether they were willing to pay or not. The results show no clear pattern of differences between CE and CV regarding protest beliefs and protest responses. Using an attitude scale based on respondents’ protest beliefs, we see a significant negative effect of this attitude on willingness to pay in both methods. However, in one of the two study regions, the effect is weaker in CE than in CV.      

The demand for organic foods in the South of Italy: A discrete choice model

This paper analyses organic food consumer’s demand that can help advising on implementing organic food policies at European level or, for a particular European country. In particular, it investigates the main factors explaining organic food demand in the South of Italy. Following the Lancaster consumer’s demand theory we assume that consumer’s utility depends on product characteristics instead of the product itself. Thus, consumers will choose the product (organic versus conventional) that possesses the combination of attributes that maximises its utility. Consumer’s choice for organic foods is analysed within the random utility discrete choice model and a bivariate probit model has been specified. The data were collected through a questionnaire conducted in the Italian region of Campania (Naples) in 2003. Findings indicate that economic factors are still factors limiting the growth of organic demand in Europe. Moreover, the consumers’ perceived benefits of organic food (environmental and health) are factors promoting organic food demand. In addition, greater information on organic food products is crucial to expand its demand in the South of Italy because this information will increase the consumer’s organic knowledge. Then, higher organic knowledge will increase the probability to buy organic foods and, to a larger extent, the level of consumption among existing consumers.     

A comparison of citizen and “expert” preferences using an attribute-based approach to choice

This paper explores whether expert judgements can be taken as a proxy for citizen preferences for determining investment strategies for public goods. As an illustration, we focus on the provision of Public Rights Of Way (PROW) by Local Government Authorities in England. These provide rights of passage over property to those other than the owners, and little information is available on the welfare effects of changes in the provision and use of PROW. Given limited funds, reliance on expert judgement could be a cost effective alternative for decision-making compared with stated preference surveys of citizens. Two methods are compared. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used to elicit expert judgement to proxy citizen preferences for different attributes of PROW. The Choice Experiment (CE) technique is then used to derive preferences directly through personal interviews with citizens. Overall it was found that judicious use of AHP by experts can, in this instance, be used to represent citizen views. However, this result may not be easily generalisable to other settings.     

Public preferences for post 2020 agri-environmental policy in the Czech Republic: A choice experiment approach

In November 2017 European Union commission presented a communication report summarizing the reform proposal of the post 2020 Common Agriculture Policy (CAP). The reform aims to address the environmental degradation associated with agricultural production as well as change in the structure of CAP payments. To this end, the Ministry of Agriculture in Czech Republic is preparing to set its priorities towards CAP’s reform. In this study we applied a choice experiment to investigate the public preferences for a set of environmental goods and services delivered by agri-environment-climatic voluntary measures (AECMs). A mixed logit model is employed to elicit preferences and explore their heterogeneity. We find that respondents oppose strongly funding removal. Among environmental attributes, water and food quality are the ones with the highest implicit marginal willingness-to-pay values. Preferences for no funding option are heterogeneous with socio-demographic and attitudinal variables explaining some sources of this heterogeneity. A continuation of national funding for the AECMs is expected to lead to a better state of environment with an anticipated positive welfare change of 669–932 mil EUR as opposed to funding removal. The change reflects the estimated welfare change resulting from moving from a low to a medium or to a high preservation state of agri-environmental attributes. We also project the budget change for AECMs considering the level of national funding and given the transfer share between Pillar I and II. Based on our results, we suggest that national funding can be informed by the welfare change scenarios and transfer shares are projected accordingly.     

Inducing value and institutional learning effects in stated choice experiments using advanced disclosure and instructional choice set treatments

This article analyses the effect of inducing institutional and value learning in a choice experiment survey concerning food safety. Respondents were subjected to two types of treatments, namely, Advance Disclosure (ADV) and Instructional Choice Set (ICS). Employing a split‐sample setup, we test the effect of providing ICS and ADV in two treatment groups relative to a control group where learning is not induced. We further test and compare the effects of ADV and ICS directly against each other. We find some evidence that ICS reduces institutional uncertainty as intended. Moreover, the results suggest that both ICS and ADV could potentially remove a gender‐specific status‐quo bias.     

放松利率管制、过度负债与债务期限结构

放松利率管制不仅消除了信贷市场摩擦,而且可以通过调整贷款利率水平以实现信贷风险与资金成本之间的匹配,从而对企业资本结构选择产生影响。本文以2000-2015年我国A股非金融类上市公司为研究样本,从企业杠杆选择和债务期限结构两个方面来实证检验放松利率管制如何影响企业资本结构。检验结果发现:放松利率管制不仅显著抑制企业过度负债,加快资本结构调整速度,而且延长企业债务期限。进一步检验还发现,放松利率管制显著抑制企业短贷长投行为,降低企业现金与现金流之间的敏感性。以上问题的研究不仅在理论上证实了放松利率管制影响企业杠杆选择以及资本错配的具体作用机理,而且在实践方面对于我们进一步推进利率市场化进程,完善市场在资源配置中的决定性作用具有重要的政策启示意义。     

Marketing the use of headgear in high contact sports

High contact sports have gained popularity among consumers, who often seek thrills and the feeling of invincibility by risking their well-being. One major health risk associated with these sports is head injuries, including trauma, concussion, and sleep disruption. In this research, we investigate the effect of consumers’ product choice difficulty on their health risk assessments. We illustrate a novel mediating route by documenting how and when choice maximization can help consumers make the optimal choice when faced with the many products available in the market. To aid their decisions, consumers require communication about the health benefits of the product (first-stage boundary condition) but not at the expense of reducing their game-playing enjoyment (second-stage boundary condition). The paper concludes with contributions to and implications for theory and practice and a research agenda to guide future inquiries in this under-researched area.     

Pesticides,Preference Heterogeneity and Environmental Taxes

In this paper we present results from two choice experiments (CE), designed to take account of the different negative externalities associated with pesticide use in agricultural production. For cereal production, the most probable impact of pesticide use is a reduction in environmental quality. For fruit and vegetable production, the negative externality is on consumer health. Using latent class models we find evidence of the presence of preference heterogeneity in addition to reasonably high willingness to pay (WTP) estimates for a reduction in the use of pesticides for both environmental quality and consumer health. To place our WTP estimates in a policy context we convert them into an equivalent pesticide tax by type of externality. Our tax estimates suggest that pesticide taxes based on the primary externality resulting from a particular mode of agricultural production are a credible policy option that warrants further consideration.     

制度变迁中的中国农地产权的性质:一个历史分析视角

自我国农村社会经济转型开始至今,许多有关农村制度变迁与合约选择的文献对此进行了相关研究并深深影响了学术界、决策界对家庭承包制、农业生产合作社的判断.本文对此进行了严格的理论评析.交易成本不仅产生于信息不对称所造成的委托代理,也产生于人们所缔结的合约结构或所选择的组织形态不能与产权的多重属性达成必要的一致.与流行的观点不同,本文认为,农村集体产权或集体(合作)经济组织仍然是可选择的.在此基础上,本文概要性地比较了农村人民公社的集体产权与联产承包制下的集体产权的各自特征.