Hypothetical referenda have been proposed as an incentive- compatible mechanism that can be used to obtain social valuations of environmental resources. We employ experimental methods to test the hypothesis that such referenda are indeed incentive compatible. Our results lead us to reject that...

One of the problems with proposals for substantialinstitutional change in water systems is thatmodification and irreversibility make the processslow, cautious and costly to society. In this paper,we discuss the role that experimental economics canplay in evaluating proposed institutional changes...

In this Report, we seek to answer the question: “If the U.S. highway transportation sector did not use oil, how much would the U.S. Federal government reduce its military commitment in the Persian Gulf?†The analysis goes in four parts. First, we explain that the U.S. protects its...

Over the past five years, analysts and policy makers have become increasingly interested in the full social cost of motor-vehicle use. Researchers have performed social-cost analyses for a variety reasons, and have used them in a variety of ways, to support a wide range of policy positions. Some...

The U.S. spends a considerable amount of money protecting what it feels are its interests in the Persian Gulf. The exact amount is difficult to estimate, because the Defense budget is itemized not by region or mission, but rather, as shown in Table 15-4, by general function or cost area, such as...

Every year, federal, state, and local governments in the U. S. spend tens of billions of dollars to build and maintain roads, enforce traffic laws, put out motor-vehicle fires, lock up motor-vehicle criminals, control motor-vehicle pollution, research new motor fuels and motor-vehicle...

The detrimental effects of ambient ozone on crops, even at relatively low concentrations, are well-established (Thompson et al., 1976; Heck and Brandt, 1977; Heck et al., 1982; Environmental Protection Agency, 1984; California Air Resources Board, 1987; Olszyk et al., 1988a, 1988b; Heagle et al., 1986; McCool et al., 1986,...

Particles and gases in the atmosphere scatter and absorb light, and thereby reduce visibility (Watson and Chow, 1994; Richards et al., 1990; Ozkaynak et al., 1985). Although natural sources of particles, such as volcanoes, can significantly degrade visibility, it generally is true that “when...