To find out if consumers are willing to pay a surcharge for "green energy," the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries hosted consumer focus groups at four locations in Alabama. Results showed that consumers were willing to pay a premium in line with the costs, but that most did not...

Individuals and households reveal their willingness to pay to enjoy environmental and natural resource services by engaging in outdoor recreation activities. The state of Alabama and the Black-Belt region possess significant recreational fishing resources whose qualities could be improved...

Households choose where to live by trading off wages, house prices and local amenities. In this paper, I estimate the effect of crime on household location choice using a two-stage residential sorting model which incorporates the effect of mobility cost. The choice set in this paper is defined...

This is a preliminary, working paper. Please address all shortcoming and comments to Derrick Robinson. Thank you!

Research has highlighted a growing gap between public perceptions of farming and the realities of modern agriculture and the food industry. A number of food scandals have exacerbated consumers’ critical perceptions of the agribusiness sector. This can threaten the reputation and legitimacy of...

In this study we address the following question: does friendship facilitate the adoption of a risk inherent new product? We did a validation study with a previously recorded friendship network and simulated scenario of a new energy drink. We learn that spill over effect for such a friendship...

Understanding the reference potential of mavens seems to be relevant in order to comprehend the implicit economic benefits of a maven in the market place. This study shows that, apparently, maven groups can be clearly distinguished from a non-maven group on the basis of their reference power....

Obesity is still on the rise, leading to high costs for the obese individual itself but also for society. We analyze the influence of peer effects on food choices in lunchrooms with posted nutrition facts. Data were collected in a lunchroom at a large U.S. university. Groups of four patrons each...

It is a known fact that stress negatively affects food choices. Consequentially, this paper analyzes three different research questions using a sample of 330 international students in Germany. Firstly, it is observed if stress affects students’ motivations to eat, i.e. if it triggers changes...