Policymakers anticipate strong local opposition to undesirable land-uses, such as large-scale landfills, and therefore seek new methods for selecting sites. This paper develops an approach that integrates the technical, economic, and political concerns relevant to siting decisions, beginning...

Farmland preservation programs exist in all states. Most programs pursue agricultural objectives, such as preserving productive soils and viable farms. However, in some states the public may believe that programs should pursue broader goals often associated with preserving open space. Focus...

An econometric model that describes public support for farmland preservation programs as a function of local land use patterns and socioeconomic data is developed. Two versions of the model are estimated using data from referenda conducted in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island during 1982 through...

Using a new model formulation and data from a sample of Colorado utilities, we investigated the price specification controversy (marginal price versus average revenue) when estimating residential water demand. The improved statistical fit using average ...

This paper explores Heiner's hypothesis concerning a gap between the cognitive ability of decision makers and the difficulty of decisions (the C-D gap). We discuss the implications of decision heuristics for coefficient estimates when uncertainty is faced by decision makers, where the level of...

International environmental groups propose to implement new standards of forest management through programs that certify producers who meet criteria to enhance biodiversity or sustainability. These producers could earn an "eco-label" that identifies their products for consumers. We consider...

This paper explores potential focus shift asymmetries in an ordered strength of preference model applied to contingent choice data. A focus shift occurs when respondents weight factors differently when assessing preference for an "accepted" scenario than they do when assessing preference for a...

States and municipalities have committed over $24 billion in bond issues for land conservation in recent years, yet the structure of the land conservation industry and markets is poorly understood. Using a stated choice experiment survey, we examine the role of public access in willingness to...

International environmental organizations propose voluntary eco-labeling as a market incentive to promote industry to operate in an ecologically sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. A microeconomic analysis questions whether voluntary eco-labeling will cause producer profits in a...