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ABSTRACT:This article uses a system of Poisson demand equations to examine the revenue potential associated with uniform, site-differentiated, and income-differentiated recreational access fees for more than 130 lakes in the state of Iowa. We also consider optimal fees in the spirit of Ramsey (1927) and demonstrate how the new insights from Banzhaf and Smith (2022) can empirically inform discussions of user fees. We find that user fees could be used to raise revenue for the maintenance of recreation infrastructure, but that they are generally regressive. Fees differentiated by income groups can attenuate (but not eliminate) this regressivity. (JEL Q26, Q51)

Abstract:We show how stated preference information obtained from a choice experiment, and revealed preference information based on housing market transactions, can be combined via generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation. Specifically, we use a moment condition matching the predicted marginal willingness to pay (WTP) from a first-stage hedonic model to the marginal WTP formula implied by the choice experiment utility function. This is coupled with other moments from the choice experiment to produce GMM-based estimates of parameters that reflect the strengths of each data source. Our application values remediation of a contaminated site in Buffalo, New York, and we find evidence in support of estimates arising from our approach. (JEL Q51, Q53)

Heterogeneity is a defining characteristic of environmental demand studies that use household-level data. People make different choices due to observed and unobserved differences in preferences and constraints, choice elements are quality-differentiated commodities that can be consumed in different ways, and observed characteristics of people are often import for policy. In this review I examine how environmental economists have responded to the challenges and opportunities this heterogeneity implies. I categorize the types of heterogeneity that can be present, provide examples of each, and propose criteria to use in deciding when explicit attention should be paid to the different types. I then show how a variety of economic and econometric models have been used to accommodate the various dimensions of observed and unobserved heterogeneity, and I discuss opportunities for further research on the topic.

Abstract:We examine snowmobile use conflict in Yellowstone National Park to assess the effect of different winter management policies on heterogeneous visitors' welfare. Using a stated preference choice experiment we quantify welfare changes for snowmobile riders and non-riders under different snowmobile restrictions. A key determinant of welfare change is visitors' willingness to trade-off reduced snowmobile access for improved ambient conditions in the park. Our findings support the notion that welfare losses to snowmobile riders could be offset by welfare gains to non-riders, but net benefits will depend on the number of riders and non-riders and the specifics of the policy.

Abstract:This paper outlines a new revealed preference method to estimate the effects of changes in land use associated with residential development on water quality and the implied ecosystem services at the watershed level. The analysis integrates data describing several types of behavior and uses hedonic property value and random utility models for local recreation to consider the multiple impacts of ecosystem services on household well-being. Several policy examples drawn from changes in Wake County, North Carolina, are used to demonstrate how spatial differences in residential development are reflected in the model's estimates of the economic costs of deterioration in watershed quality.