We investigate the impact of large floods on the risk of civil conflict in a sample of 125 countries between 1985 and 2009. We control for endogeneity of floods and the potential spatial and temporal dependency of civil conflict. We find that floods increase the probability of conflict incidence...

Sugar-sweetened beverages have emerged as one of the primary targets in the battle against obesity. Understanding the differential impacts of soda taxes for different obesity categories (e.g., moderate vs. morbidly obese) is critical to assess their full potential to not only reduce obesity...

Do people care more about the environment as their income increases? In this paper we use a measure of subjective well-being to directly analyze whether the impact of a number of environmental amenities on self-reported life satisfaction varies with income. We find little empirical support for...

In recent years, economists have been using socio-economic and socio-demographic characteristics to explain self-reported individual happiness or satisfaction with life. Using Geographical Information Systems (GIS), we employ data disaggregated at the individual and local level to show that...

Indices ranking the quality of life in cities based on climatic, environmental and urban conditions have a long tradition in the hedonic literature. In this paper we propose an alternative set of indices based on subjective well-being (SWB) data linked to regional level amenities. SWB indicators...

The production of many crops depends on biotic pollination. As pollinator populations decline, assessments of the potential consequential loss of economic value are critical. We estimate the economic value of pollination services ($608 million), crop vulnerability ratio (21 percent), and...

Recent years have seen a sharp increase in the use of subjective well-being data in environmental economics. This article discusses the conceptual underpinnings of using such data as a tool for preference elicitation and non-market valuation. Given the connection of those data to the notion of...