| Abstract: | The principal methods of valuing ‘non-market’ goods are presented and reviewed in terms of their basis in economic theory and their advantages and disadvantages in measuring the value of the rural environment. As a general rule, when assumptions are fewer, data requirements are greater but there may also be policy problems for which any one method is inappropriate. In particular, since countryside amenities may offer important intrinsic or non-use values, the contingent valuation technique, despite its weaknesses, may be preferred. |
