AN EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT OF CONVERGENT VALIDITY OF BENEFIT TRANSFER IN CONTINGENT CHOICE: INTRODUCTORY APPLICATIONS WITH NEW CRITERIA

Benefit transfer has been an important, practical policy tool appealing to government agencies, especially when time or budget is constrained. However, the existing literature fails to support convergent validity of benefit transfer using the stated-preference method. This empirical study examines the convergent validity of benefit transfer using the choice modeling method, a potentially promising technique compatible with the heterogeneity of the transfer contexts. Based on a survey designed for Rhode Island (RI) and modified only slightly for Massachusetts (MA), regarding coastal land management, four convergent validity tests were conducted on the benefit transfer from RI to MA. Although results fail to support convergent validity in all aspects, the empirical tests show benefit transfer using the choice modeling method maybe acceptable, and even empirically reliable depending on the policy objectives and the context.