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Environmental problems associated with the inappropriate use of fertilizers by rural smallholders are a growing concern in many countries. This paper contributes to the literature by examining whether risk preferences, time preferences, and personality traits are related to farmers’ use of synthetic and organic fertilizers. We rely on survey data collected from 815 farm households in three rice-producing provinces in eastern China in the empirical analyses. Results of OLS and rare events logistic regressions indicate that risk-seeking and patience are positively associated with the application of organic fertilizer in rice production but not with the intensity of synthetic fertilizer use. There is also no significant association between personality traits and (synthetic or organic) fertilizer use. In addition, personality traits do not mediate nor moderate the associations between economic preferences and fertilizer use. Robustness analysis using the two-stage probit least squares (2SPLS) model not only supports these findings, but also suggests that organic fertilizers complement the use of synthetic fertilizers and are only sporadically used in Chinese rice production. The insights gained in this study can provide important inputs for designing policies aimed at promoting sustainable agricultural intensification in China and elsewhere.

The COVID-19 outbreak has become one of the largest public health crises of our time. Governments have responded by implementing self-isolation and physical distancing measures that have profoundly impacted daily life throughout the world. In this study, we aimed to investigate how people experience the activities, interactions, and settings of their lives during the pandemic. The sample (N = 604) was assessed in Ireland on the 25 March 2020, following the closure of schools and non-essential businesses. We examined within-person variance in emotional well-being and how people spend their time. We found that while most time was spent in the home (74%), time spent outdoors (8%) was associated with markedly raised positive affect and reduced negative emotions. Exercising, going for walks, gardening, pursuing hobbies, and taking care of children were the activities associated with the greatest affective benefits. Home-schooling children and obtaining information about COVID-19 were ranked lowest of all activities in terms of emotional experience. These findings highlight activities that may play a protective role in relation to well-being during the pandemic, the importance of setting limits for exposure to COVID-19-related media coverage, and the need for greater educational supports to facilitate home-schooling during this challenging period.

The COVID-19 outbreak has become one of the largest public health crises of our time. Governments have responded by implementing self-isolation and physical distancing measures that have profoundly impacted daily life throughout the world. In this study, we aimed to investigate how people experience the activities, interactions, and settings of their lives during the pandemic. The sample (N = 604) was assessed in Ireland on the 25 March 2020, following the closure of schools and non-essential businesses. We examined within-person variance in emotional well-being and how people spend their time. We found that while most time was spent in the home (74%), time spent outdoors (8%) was associated with markedly raised positive affect and reduced negative emotions. Exercising, going for walks, gardening, pursuing hobbies, and taking care of children were the activities associated with the greatest affective benefits. Home-schooling children and obtaining information about COVID-19 were ranked lowest of all activities in terms of emotional experience. These findings highlight activities that may play a protective role in relation to well-being during the pandemic, the importance of setting limits for exposure to COVID-19-related media coverage, and the need for greater educational supports to facilitate home-schooling during this challenging period.

Self-control problems have been proposed as a key reason for low pension saving rates, yet evidence of this link remains scarce. We test the association between childhood self-control and adult pension participation using data from 14,223 individuals from two nationally-representative British cohorts. We find that a 1 standard deviation increase in self-control predicts a 4–5 percentage point higher probability of having a pension. Mediation analysis shows that about 50–60 percent of this association is explained by the contribution of self-control to a range of factors (e.g. education, economic status, home-ownership) which are associated with pension uptake throughout adulthood.

Self-control problems have been proposed as a key reason for low pension saving rates, yet evidence of this link remains scarce. We test the association between childhood self-control and adult pension participation using data from 14,223 individuals from two nationally-representative British cohorts. We find that a 1 standard deviation increase in self-control predicts a 4–5 percentage point higher probability of having a pension. Mediation analysis shows that about 50–60 percent of this association is explained by the contribution of self-control to a range of factors (e.g. education, economic status, home-ownership) which are associated with pension uptake throughout adulthood.

Piracy in international waters is on the rise again, in particular off the coast of Somalia. While the dynamic game between pirates, ship-owners, insurance firms and the military seems to have reached some kind of equilibrium, piracy risks generating significant negative externalities to third parties (e.g. in terms of environmental hazards and terrorism), justifying attempts to contain it. We argue that these attempts may benefit from a look back - through the analytical lens of public choice theory - to the most successful counter-piracy campaign ever undertaken, namely, the one led by the Roman general Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great) in 67 BC.

In many countries around the world, significant proportions of consumers report intentions to reduce their meat consumption. If followed through on, the intentions of these meat reducers could yield substantial environmental, health and animal welfare benefits. Existing research warns, however, that good intentions often go astray. In the current study, we examine the prevalence of intentions to reduce meat consumption in a representative sample of 1492 UK residents. We then investigate the situational correlates of intention-behaviour gaps in meat consumption among a group of 633 people with intentions to reduce their intake in a longitudinal survey involving event reconstruction exercises. Through these exercises, we collect data on the objective situational cues and psychological situational characteristics that predict when this group desired, ate and regretted eating meat during 2777 meal episodes. The results indicate that situational factors are predictive of the range of outcomes of interest. Situations that lend themselves to hedonic, rather than instrumental style, consumption, (e.g., non-routine meals, when the situation is perceived as being pleasant and when taste and craving are important decision factors), eating outside the home in cafés and restaurants and over at family or friend's homes and eating in the presence of others who are eating meat when are particularly predictive of intention-behaviour gaps. The findings highlight the need for intervention work which targets these situations to help meat reducers act as they intend.