Protest responses and community attitudes toward accepting compensation to host waste disposal infrastructure

Despite the use of host community compensation to solve NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) siting difficulties in many industrialised countries, the effectiveness of this policy is still being debated in academic and policy-making arenas. In this paper, we examine attitudes held regarding compensation in communities directly impacted upon by final waste disposal infrastructure projects (landfill and incineration) in Ireland using survey responses to two contingent valuation (CV) scenarios and a question relating to preferences for compensation delivery. We find that communities in the pre-construction planning phase for locally undesirable development are less accepting of compensation offers to host the facility than are communities who have lived with such developments to host an extension to the existing facility in their localities. However, many of our respondents who initially reject compensation offers in the CV question go on to accept at least one compensation package in the later compensation preference question. Using this information allows us to draw a distinction between ‘Hardcore’ and ‘Switcher’ protesters to illustrate a more subtle picture of rejection of locally undesirable facilities and compensation packages than has previously been articulated. Using probit regression analysis, we find that property rights or NIMBY concerns – specifically, the treatment of non-local waste at the facility is a concern for many residents – drive this rejection of compensation. Finally, contrary to previous studies concerning preferences for host compensation, community compensation is not always preferred to individual compensation payments.     

论构建矿产资源开发的生态补偿机制

指出当前中国矿产资源开发而引起的环境问题日益突出的根源在于生态补偿机制缺失,并提出构建矿产资源开发的生态补偿机制,需要着力解决"由谁补偿"、"补偿多少"和"怎么补偿"3个基本问题。即实行"新旧账"分治,明确矿山环境恢复补偿主体以及责权利,多渠道筹集废弃矿山环境恢复治理基金;以重置成本为依据确定矿山环境恢复治理保证金征收标准,因地制宜地确定征收办法;建立和完善生态补偿资金使用的招标、监管和效益评价机制。     

Willingness to accept compensation for land fallowing: results from a survey of village representatives in Northern China

Economic instruments have been increasingly adopted by governments around the world to address water scarcity problems because of their potential to achieve environmental outcomes in more cost‐effective ways. This is the first study to estimate the willingness to accept compensation for land fallowing in rural China. Using survey data collected from village representatives in Northern China (mainly village leaders, party secretaries and village accountants), our results suggest that in groundwater irrigated sample villages, at least 28 per cent of respondents have a compensation expectation lower than the standard level of 500 yuan/mu/year for one season of fallowing set by the Government. Water scarcity measures such as irrigation supply reliability and depth‐to‐groundwater within a village are found to have statistically significant effects on the likelihood of fallowing land in groundwater irrigated villages.     

Making the ‘rules of the game’: Constituting territory and authority in Nicaragua's indigenous communities

Indigenous communities, particularly in Latin America, are increasingly winning recognition of rights to lands and forests that they have managed or used historically under customary institutions. If property refers to ‘the rules of the game’, this article uses the constitution of indigenous communal territories in Nicaragua to examine the process of ‘making the rules’. Specifically, the recognition of rights by central governments leads to political contestations over both territory and authority as communities and indigenous political leaders vie for different configurations of both lands and new territorial authorities. That is, the process of constituting large collective territories is intimately related to the constitution of authority, as it involves not only the negotiation of physical boundaries but also the recognition of an existing authority structure – or the creation of a new entity – to represent the beneficiaries. In Nicaragua's North Atlantic Autonomous Region, then, the decision over ‘which configuration of territory’ is ultimately a political negotiation over which ‘authority’ will have the right to control and enforce access to which rights and benefits from land and natural resources.     

Between the rule of law and the quest for control: Legal certainty in the Dutch planning system

At the heart of every planning system lies the trade-off between flexibility and legal certainty. Every system has a bit of both. Systems such as the English put more emphasis on flexibility, whereas the American and the French seem to value legal certainty more highly. The Netherlands is part of the same Napoleonic legal family as France. However, in the Netherlands, planning practice seems to be more flexible than the general perception of the Dutch planning system. Many developments deviate from the legally binding land-use plan. Therefore, such a plan does not provide much legal certainty. On 1 July 2008, the new Dutch Spatial Planning Act came into effect. One of its most important objectives is instating the land-use plan as the central decision framework. Both the steering and the safeguarding function – the legal certainty – are meant to be strengthened. Therefore, the frequently grant exemptions must be reduced. However, it seems that the ‘erosion’ of the land-use plan has a more fundamental origin in Dutch planning culture. Based on empirical evidence of the use of the previous planning system, this paper states that steering ambitions of Dutch municipalities, rather than the system as such, have caused land-use plans – with their main focus on recording spatial development afterwards – to become overly detailed and easily outdated. The quest for control and the rule of law seem to be antagonists; one can only exist at the expense of the other.     

Modelling the impacts of policy on entry into organic farming: Evidence from Danish–UK comparisons, 1989–2007

This paper analyses organic farming entry decisions using a piece-wise linear depiction of policy. Our goal is to ascertain, from the available but limited information, whether Danish and UK policy measures toward organic agriculture have affected participation. Despite considerable interest in the growth of organic farming there has been little systematic analysis of it, although it is commonly believed that enhanced income levels have played a part. Whilst analyses of organic farming policy have provided extensive reviews of instruments applied, generally speaking, the spirit of those enquiries takes as datum that organic policies have had the desired impacts. Yet such conjectures remain mostly untested. Hence, there is a need to examine systematically if there exist relationships between the introduction of organic farming policies and the growth of organic farming, and whether particular policy measures are more effective than others. Here, we take a first step in this endeavor by undertaking an econometric analysis of the relationship between 14 organic farming policy measures and participation rates in Denmark and the UK during 1989–2007. Using two response variables – the numbers of farmers converted to organic production and the total land area under organic practice – we implement a simple, Bayesian methodology and evaluate the stepwise-linear impacts of policy. Extensions for future work are discussed. Six policy measures in the two study countries were found to be significant influences on participation, five of them direct supply-side instruments. For the UK, all of the policies are annual subsidies for organic farmers once conversion was complete. For Denmark, the policies are the introduction of organic subsidies for non-dairy farms, the extension of subsidies beyond 1997 and support for the costs of marketing services.     

Review - Thomas Sterner (2003): Policy Instruments for Environmental and Natural Resource Management

RFF Press, Washington D. C. ISBN 1-891853-12-0As research in environmental policy has accumulated, and the number of applications of policy instruments for environmental and natural resource management has grown, so has the arsenal of different instruments available for the policy maker. This development has continued up to a point where it now becomes difficult for the individual researcher or policy maker to survey this vast field. With this in mind, there are many that have reason to be grateful for Thomas Sterner's effort in his new book, Policy Instruments for Environmental and Natural Resource Management. This book not only details the economic principles behind environmental policy, but also presents a wide range of examples of practical policy design in areas such as road transportation, industrial pollution and the management of natural resources and ecosystems.In the preface Thomas Sterner states that the book is intended for academicians, like university professors, graduate and undergraduate students, as well as analysts who advice policy makers. In particular, the book turns towards people of these categories in countries who have not to date made extensive use of market-based policy instruments. Presumably, this includes countries in the developing world and former planned economies. The book is non-technical in the sense that only a small amount of mathematical formulas are presented to not deter reader with a less solid background in maths.The book is divided into seven sections. The first part (entitled: The Need for Environmental and Natural Resource Policy) details the causes behind environmental degradation and introduces important concepts in environmental economics, such as externalities and public goods. The section also gives an outline of bioeconomics and the evolution of rights. The material is similar to other textbooks, and should be well known to the environmental economist. Part 2 (Review of Policy Instruments) presents the most important policy tools in the economists tool box, including direct regulation, taxes, tradeable permits, subsidies and property rights related instruments. This material is presented in an accessible, non-technical manner. Part 3 (Selection of Policy Instruments) concentrates on how to choose between different policy instruments, taking into account aspects such as efficiency, uncertainty, equilibrium effects, cost distribution, etc. This section should be particularly useful for analysts who advice policy makers. The information in this section is also neatly summarized in a “Policy Selection Matrix” in Chapter 18.In Parts 4, 5 and 6 the book becomes really unique and interesting for an academic audience. In these sections the author analyses a wealth of examples of policy design in areas such as road transportation, industrial pollution and the management of natural resources and ecosystems. Part 4 (Policy Instruments for Road Transportation) describes the policy experience in areas such as road pricing, fuel taxation and vehicle standards. In Part 5 (Policy Instruments for Industrial Pollution) the attention is turned to a “classic” area for environmental policy. The examples from both developed and developing countries are numerous. Policies for natural resource management is the focus of Part 6 (Policy Instruments for the Management of Natural Resources and Ecosystems), which deals with water, waste, fisheries, agriculture, forestry and ecosystems. Readers of JFE are perhaps most interested in the chapter on forestry (Chapter 30), and I would have to argue that this chapter is rather short, although that cannot be regarded as a major shortcoming of the book as a whole. However, a reader with a deeper interest in forest policy might want to complement with the book by Boyd & Hyde (1989).What then can be said about the usefulness of the book for its intended audiences? Well, for at least one of the intended audiences, analysts who advice policy makers, this book is simply indispensable. It is also very useful as a reference text for researchers who specialize in environmental policy. I would perhaps not suggest this book as a textbook for undergraduate students, partly because of its sheer size and partly because the wealth of examples diverts attention from the need for undergraduates to focus on basic economic principles. It's better suited for graduate students, but then I would supplement it with a more technical volume, such as the book by Baumol & Oates. Overall, my impression is that the main field of application of the book is as a reference text on environmental policy instruments, and it should be of particular interest for people in developing countries and former planned economies. For the forest economist interested in forest policy the forest chapter feels somewhat like an appetizer, but the book gives a good opportunity to learn about policy instruments applied to other areas that could be applicable to forest related problems. Put simply, a good source of inspiration.Göran BostedtDeptartment of Forest EconomicsSwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUmeå     

The pioneer market for forest law compliance in Paragominas,Eastern Brazilian Amazon

This paper explores farmers’ motivations to participate in a market mechanism to come into compliance with the forest laws in Brazil. As of July 2008, farmers with deforestation beyond what is legally permitted can choose between compensating for illegal deforestation at another property or restoring this environmental debt in situ. The study analyzes the first real case of such a compensation market in the Amazonia, started in 2014 in the municipality of Paragominas, Pará. I explore the main features of the Paragominas compensation market in order to understand why farmers with forest deficits would opt for such a mechanism. In particular, the main question explored in this study is: what economic and environmental factors influence the choice to compensate rather than restore in properties with a legal reserve deficit in Paragominas? Results show that an increase in the percentage of illegal deforestation that occurred up to 2008 on a property is associated with an increase in the predicted probability of choosing compensation, when keeping agriculture as a land use, the property size, and the number of land uses in the property unchanged. The study also reveals that farmers with forest deficits may prefer to buy a forest area instead of renting for compensation if they have enough capital to invest.     

Playing musical chairs with land use obligations: Market-based instruments and environmental public policies in Brazil

In Brazil, market-based instruments focusing on land use dimensions are increasingly promoted as a means to make public environmental policies effective. Landowners and farmers call for more flexible regulations and economic incentives to adopt ecologically sound practices, while public agencies and conservation NGOs seek new ways of financing and legitimising legal standards. Market-based instruments are considered by these actors as having the potential to both achieve their own goals and conciliate all interests. As a result, legal frameworks (including cap-and-trade systems, biodiversity offsetting and payments for ecosystem services) are being designed which allow to exchange land use rights and obligations. Under a sociolegal approach, this article provides an overview of such instruments. It shows to what extent they may entail a reconfiguration of the burden sharing and the priority setting of nature conservation. Depending on how actors use legal standards, their responsibilities may be eased and the level of conservation may be lowered, both facts that raise significant controversy.     

Containing urban sprawl—Evaluating effectiveness of urban growth boundaries set by the Swiss Land Use Plan

Urban containment strategies are one of the best-known planning instruments for managing urban sprawl. The two main types of such strategies are greenbelts and urban growth boundaries. The boundaries set by the Land Use Plan in Switzerland have been applied since 1970. We evaluate the effect and success of this strategy by analysing expansion of developed land, change in number of buildings, and building density within and outside building zones in four Swiss municipalities 1970–2000. Our results show that the boundary restricted most development to building zones and promoted increased building density. Generally, building density increased in the building zones but decreased outside of building zones. For more efficiency and success, the political institutions should specify explicit goals for development inside and outside of building zones, and develop new instruments for guiding development outside of building zones.     

Integrating local ecological services into intergovernmental fiscal transfers: The case of the ecological ICMS in Brazil

Local conservation efforts are often related to benefits at higher governmental levels. On the one hand, these efforts are strongly connected to local land-use decisions. On the other hand, activities such as sustainable water management or biodiversity conservation are associated with regional, national or even global public goods. Therefore, spatial externalities or spillovers exist, which—if not adequately compensated for—lead to an underprovision of the public goods and services concerned. This article investigates intergovernmental fiscal transfers as an innovative instrument for compensating local jurisdictions for the ecological goods and services they provide across local boundaries. From a public finance perspective, fiscal transfers are a suitable instrument for internalising spatial externalities. However, most federal states use this instrument predominantly for social and economic public sector functions rather than for ecological ones. This article investigates the case of the ecological “ICMS” that was first introduced by a few states in Brazil during the 1990s. Part of the revenue from this value-added tax is redistributed to the local level on the basis of ecological indicators. In this way, the state level uses fiscal transfers to compensate municipalities for the existence of protected areas and other ecological services provided within their territories. The Brazilian experience illustrates that such fiscal transfers can represent both a compensation for land-use restrictions and an incentive to value and engage in more conservation activities at the local level.     

Towards the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive?: Lessons learned from water quality simulations in an agricultural watershed

The main objective of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) is the achievement of a good ecological and chemical status of the water environment (water bodies). This status corresponds to the limit value of Germany's Working Group of the Federal States on Water Problems Issues (LAWA) for water quality class II (3 mg/l total nitrogen). The rivers in the intensively cropped Upper Ems River basin (northwestern Germany) show total nitrogen concentrations in excess of 5–10 mg/l. Hence, the objective of our study was to find a land use and land management scenario that would reduce the total nitrogen concentration to meet the WFD requirements for good ecological and chemical status. We developed consecutive land use and management scenarios on the basis of policy instruments such as the support of agro-environmental measures by Common Agricultural Policy and regional landscape development programs. The model simulations were done by using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Results of SWAT scenario calculations showed that drastic measures, which are unrealistic from a socio-economic point of view, would be needed to achieve the water quality target in the basin (reduction of arable land from 77.2% to 46% [13% organic farming], increase of pasture from 4% to 15%, afforestation from 10% to 21%, increase of protected wetlands from 0% to 9%, etc.). The example shows additionally that the achievement of the WFD targets is only possible with a consideration of regional landscape and land use distinctions. A related problem yet to be addressed is the general lack of measured water quality data with which to calibrate and validate water quality models such as SWAT. This adds considerable uncertainty to already complicated and uncertainty situations. Thus, improved strategies for water quality monitoring, and data accessibility must be established.     

Compensating for past deforestation: Assessing the legal forest surplus and deficit of the state of Pará, eastern Amazonia

Up to 80% of each private rural property in the Brazilian Amazon is protected by law through the Legal Reserve (LR) mechanism of the federal Forest Code, underlining the conservation importance of forests on private lands in one of the world̿s most important biomes. However, our understanding of the discrepancies in levels of forest protection on private lands as obligated by the law versus what occurs in practice remains very poor. We assessed patterns of forest cover and legal compliance with the Forest Code in the 1.25 Mkm² Brazilian state of Pará, which has the highest deforestation rate in the Amazon. We evaluate the LR deficit and surplus patterns for different sized properties and across 144 municipalities, and found that the total LR surplus (12.6 Mha) was more than five times the total area of deficit (2.3 Mha). Yet, from the total surplus, only 11% can be legally deforested while the remaining 89% is already protected by law but can be used (sold or rented) to compensate for areas that are under deficit. Medium and large-scale properties make up most of the total LR deficit area, while agrarian reform settlements had comparatively large amounts of both compensation-only surplus and deforestable surplus. Most of the municipalities (77%) in the state could compensate their total deficit with surplus areas of LR in the same municipality, while the remainder can be compensate their deficit in one or more neighbouring municipalities, indicating compensation can always take place close to the source of the deficit. Maximising the environmental benefits of achieving Forest Code compliance requires measures that go beyond the existing legal framework, including interventions to avoid further deforestation in places where it is still legal, compensate in close proximity to areas with legal reserve deficit and promote local restoration on degraded lands.     

New environmental policy instruments to realize forest expansion in Flanders (northern Belgium): A base for smart regulation?

This paper evaluates the current instrument mix, designs options for smart regulation and estimates the support base of new instruments for the forest expansion policy in Flanders (northern Belgium). The framework applied is a combination of theories on instrument choice (ICT), policy transfer and legitimacy. The ICT points out that there is a need for new environmental policy instruments (NEPI) oriented to private actors that inform them or create win–win situations for all involved parties. The need is especially high for farmers, who are key actors. The policy transfer analysis suggested instruments currently in use in the Netherlands, England and Denmark that can fulfill these needs. However, the acceptability – or legitimacy – of the suggested instruments in Flanders is only high for three of these, notably the carbon fund, flexible grant scheme and expert advice (especially by forest groups). This largely fills some smart regulation gaps, like the need for information (expert advice), the involvement of other institutional actors (certifiers, forest groups) and the higher involvement of the private sector (all). However, some gaps, such as flexible land purchase through cooperation with real estate agents or other private agents and opportunities for win–win outcomes with farmers, remain. Thus, it is not possible to fully optimize the instrument mix in accordance with the smart regulation requirements in Flanders’ forest expansion policy at this moment. However, as continuity or incremental change is characteristic of most public policy, this does not mean that the suggested changes will be impossible in the near future, especially with the changing character of the rural space.     

Pareto-Improving Water Management over Space and Time: The Honolulu Case

We model welfare gains from efficient allocation of groundwater over space and time relative to the status quo policy of financial cost recovery. In order to promote political feasibility, an intertemporal compensation plan is devised that renders the reform Pareto-improving. Gainers from the reform finance the compensation in proportion to their benefits through a block-pricing scheme. For the Honolulu case, only 7% of the $441 million in gains to winners is needed to compensate losers from the reform. Future winners from the reform also repay the deficit created by the compensation package, much as state and local governments finance capital improvements.     

Pastoralism within land administration in Kenya—The missing link

In land administration (LA), the right to exercising property/ownership rights on land is based on cadastral processes of adjudication, survey and rights registration. Private ownership rights are now being taken up in pastoral areas, where they must contend with pastoralists’ land rights. Pastoral land use requires seasonal migrations determined by climatic conditions. This study aimed to find out how well the existing land laws and property rights in LA are able to serve the requirements of pastoralists land use, identify mismatches and put forward possible solutions. A case study was carried out in the Samburu–Laikipia–Isiolo–Meru landscape in Kenya. Data on the degree of livestock dependency among pastoralist communities, the spatial extent and patterns of dry season migrations, the resulting encounters between herders’ and non-pastoralist land use actors, and the perceptions of land rights held by actors were collected through a variety of methods and analysed. The results show that pastoralism is still active. The migration corridors reveal that herders maintain extensive dry season mobility, even though some of the corridors currently overlap with areas where land is privately owned by non-pastoralist land use actors. Moreover, the results show that most non-pastoralist land use actors have their land rights registered, but seasonal encounters with migrating pastoralists persist as pastoralists continue to exercise customary rights of communal use. We conclude that existing land laws and property rights in LA are suitable for sedentary land use, but do not address how to serve pastoralists land rights in time and space. The pastoralist's migration routes and patterns obtained indicated that it is possible to predict where pastoralists will be at a given time/drought period. This information could be used by decision makers and land administrators to identify where and when pastoralists’ land rights apply. This could provide the foundation for including pastoralists’ spatiotemporal land rights in LA. Arguments emphasize that adjudication, surveys and registration of rights should focus not only on ownership and full control of land, but also on defined periods when spatiotemporal mobility and access rights could be granted to pastoralists.     

征地制度改革的新思维

征地制度改革的基本思路是“缩小范围、增加补偿”。然而征地制度提供建设用地和集聚资金的社会经济功能,使得目前的改革思路难以实现。发展集体建设用地使用权市场成为加快征地制度改革的突破口。发展集体建设用地使用权市场不仅有法律依据,也有现实基础。合理的市场发育模式与公正的土地价值分配机制是集体建设用地合理有序的进入市场制度保证。     

Forest owners’ willingness to accept compensation for voluntary conservation: A contingent valuation approach

To avoid conflicts often associated with mandatory regulations, it is crucial to motivate and incentivize forest owners to participate in voluntary conservation programs. To investigate forest owner preferences and willingness to accept compensation (WTA) to participate, we conduct a contingent valuation survey of non-industrial private forest owners in Norway. We find that WTA is negatively related to the size of the forest holding and absentee ownership, and positively related to the share of the forest classified as productive. The overall mean WTA per year per hectare is estimated at NOK 1800. Costs of reaching conservation goals can be saved by targeting small and relatively less productive forests and absentee owners first, before considering increasingly expensive forest areas. However, this recommendation only holds if desirable biological characteristics are not substantially less likely to be found in such areas. Results are potentially important both for our understanding of forest owner preferences and the costs of voluntary forest conservation schemes currently in use in many countries.     

Implementing Pillar II of the Common Agricultural Policy in England: Geographies of the Rural Enterprise Scheme and Processing and Marketing Grant

This paper examines the geography of two policy instruments – the Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES) and the Processing and Marketing Grant (PMG) – that formed part of the second ‘pillar’ of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in England between 2000 and 2006. It starts by outlining the ongoing debate over the role of geography in policy research, an outcome of which has been a call for more empirical work that explores the ‘difference that place makes’ in the implementation of public funding mechanisms. The paper argues that the CAP is ripe for geographical analysis, as the Agenda 2000 reforms can be interpreted as moving it away from a ‘sectoral’ (agricultural) approach to a more ‘territorial’ (rural development) one. After outlining the place of the RES and PMG in the reformed CAP in England, the paper discusses three factors – farm size, proportion of land rented and location – that may have influenced their geographies. The distribution of grant approvals under these schemes is then mapped using location quotients. Following this, the potential influence of the factors outlined above is tested using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov statistic. The conclusion revisits the opening discussion by reflecting on the difference that place has made to the implementation of the PMG and RES.     

因地制宜地稳妥推进留地安置 ——基于对10余省份留地安置的调研

研究目的：研究留地安置制度的做法及存在问题,为改革和完善中国农村征地制度提供参考建议。研究方法：实地调研、政策分析、案例分析。研究结果：留地安置的实质是在法律规定的补偿费用之外增加了一部分实物补偿,其实质是农民分享了一部分土地增值收益。各地在实践中探索出了留用地的多种实现途径,经历了从实地到货币化的转变。虽然留地安置在实施中存在一些问题,但方向正确,应从细节入手解决弊端。研究结论：对留地问题宜及早进行规范并明确规定留地安置的法律地位;从源头入手,在规划上预留农民征地后的留用地;虚化区位、固化权益,因地因时探索留用地的多种实现方式。