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Plant quarantine pests worldwide cause considerable economic damage due to direct plant losses, eradication costs, and contamination measures. Although these losses can threaten the survival of a farm, no country to date has a universal compensation solution that encompasses all agricultural sectors. This paper aims to assess various compensation options by, firstly, calculating potential monetary losses caused by selected quarantine pests, which have not been studied in this context before. Secondly, we calculate farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) for different components of compensation options in plant production using a discrete choice experiment (DCE). We find that monetary losses caused by quarantine pests vary significantly across products and sectors and are highest for intensive vegetable production. The DCE reveals a strong preference for the state compensation and heterogeneity of preferences among farmers depending on their experience with risk management options and perception of pest occurrence. The WTP analysis indicates that requiring preventive plant protection measures as a prerequisite for receiving compensation significantly deters farmers from participating in such a system, as its WTP exhibits the most negative impact compared to all other factors. Due to sectoral differences and path-dependent nature of compensation programs, a universal solution is rather not feasible. Sector-specific solutions must be considered, which does not rule out similar compensation approaches among sectors. Our findings are useful for designing compensation programs for quarantine plant pest cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Choice models are used by applied economists for many purposes, such as non‐market valuation or estimating willingness to pay for novel food and product attributes. Mixed‐logit models allow researchers to account for preference heterogeneity and complex decision‐making processes when modelling choices. In mixed‐logit models, parameters of monetary attributes such as prices typically are assumed to follow a negative lognormal random distribution to ensure that the marginal utility of a price increase is strictly negative. However, this practice can cause means and standard deviations of welfare estimates to 'explode' to unfeasibly large levels, as the model assumes there are some marginal utilities of cost approaching zero. This paper examines whether cost non‐attendance, which occurs when respondents ignore costs in stated‐preference studies, could be a cause of inflated welfare estimates when a lognormal cost parameter is used. A two‐class equality‐constrained latent‐class model is proposed, in which the cost parameter is fixed at zero for a cost non‐attender class and is specified as a random lognormal parameter for cost attenders. This proposed model produces mean welfare estimates that are 17 times lower than a mixed‐logit model with a lognormal cost parameter, and 10% lower than a model with a non‐random cost parameter. These results suggest that cost non‐attendance can result in inflated welfare estimates when employing a lognormal cost parameter, and that accounting for cost non‐attendance could be a simple, parsimonious solution to this problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate heterogeneous customer choice behavior in the presence of main products—ancillary services with options of pay-per-use and subscription—and outside option. The willingness to pay for a service subscription is derived as a closed-form expression, which enables us to characterize the optimal pricing strategy and the impact of service subscriptions on customer surplus. Analytical results and numerical experiments show that offering service subscriptions may result in "win-win," "win-win-win," "win-win-lose," or "lose-lose-win" scenarios or in other situations for the firm, competitors, and customers in a variety of monopolistic and duopolistic scenarios. The advantages of service subscription still remain with heterogeneous customers differing on multiple dimensions including the nominal utility, uncertainty in the need of ancillary service, and purchase frequency. We find that if the product quality for both firms, measured by nominal utility, is not significantly different, more fierce price competition by offering a service subscription may result in a higher customer surplus, compared with that without a service subscription. Ancillary service subscription can help firms to better price-discriminate heterogeneous customers through different subscription decisions and subsequent purchase behavior. This paper was accepted by Gad Allon, operations management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates heterogeneity in consumers' human values and willingness to pay (WTP) for social outcomes of credence process attributes that might have some positive social impact on purchases of early potatoes in Italy and Germany. Consumers' identification with cross-cultural human values is measured according to the Schwartz' Portrait Values Questionnaire,the distribution of preferences for product attributes that claim a positive social impact among respondents with different human values is modeled using mixed logit analysis. Parallel survey studies were conducted in each country with the intention of comparing the impact of human values using the Schwartz Values framework on willingness to pay for early potatoes with several credence process attributes that may signal a positive social outcome as a result of purchase (price, country of origin, carbon footprint certification, ethical certification, and method of production). This paper aims to help clarify the role, if any, that pro-social consumer values have in influencing the willingness to pay for specific food credence process attributes that claim to have a social impact. To the best of our knowledge this is one of the first paper to focus on the role human values have in influencing the willingness to pay for specific extrinsic food attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last decade a number of Large Marine Protected Areas (LMPAs) – marine protected areas that exceed a minimum size threshold and are often in offshore or open ocean waters – have been designated in an effort to meet marine conservation objectives. Research on the human dimensions of LMPAs is limited, though comprehensive policy analysis requires an understanding of the full range of social, cultural and economic benefits associated with LMPA designation. This paper addresses this need by employing a stated preference choice experiment survey of U.S. west coast households to examine public preferences for different protected area designs sited off the U.S. west coast. Using data from over 3000 randomly selected households in California, Oregon, and Washington we estimate choice models and calculate economic values for a suite of LMPAs that vary in size and in the types of restrictions within area boundaries. Results show that the LMPA size yielding the highest value is ~15.6% of the west coast Federal waters. Results also underscore the importance of restriction type, as there are considerably different threshold sizes above which diminishing returns and negative economic values are derived from no-access reserves, no-take, and multiple-use designations. While the value of any specific configuration can be estimated using the model, results offer insight on optimal use designations from a public perspective for small (< 2.5% of west coast Federal waters), medium (2.5%–~10%) and large (> 10%) LMPAs sited off the U.S. west coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A choice model based on utility in a sequence of prospective future health states permits us to generalize the concept of the value of statistical life (VSL). Our representative national survey asks individuals to choose between costly risk-reducing programs and the status quo in randomized stated choice scenarios. Our model allows for separate marginal utilities for discounted net income and avoided illness years, post-illness years, and lost life-years. Our estimates permit calculation of overall willingness to pay to reduce risks for a wide variety of different prospective illness profiles. These can be benchmarked against the standard VSL as a special case. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Given that soy foods possess health-promoting attributes that offer the promise of reducing heart-related chronic diseases, this article employs choice experiments to estimate marginal willingness to pay (WTP) for soy attributes including taste, contents of soy protein, and health claim. Random parameter logit (RPL) models were estimated in consideration of potential heterogeneity across individuals in their preferences for soy food. Standard deviation parameters in the RPL models are highly significant, indicating that individuals have widely varying preferences for soy-based food products. Results suggest that, while taste is the dominating attribute that drives consumers’ WTP for soy food products, consumers do respond to the information provided in the health claim. Yet, consumers do not seem to be recognizing soy protein as the link to health benefits of soy foods. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents abstracts on planning literature which include approaches to empirical work in regional economics, understanding the barriers to social adaptation, and management of large city regions.

The article presents abstracts on various topics which include social life and civic education in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the political aspect of neighborhood football clubs in Santiago, Chile and the legacy of urban renewal in Southwest Washington, D.C.

An increasing number of farms in Italy are converting to organic farming. In the slow process of shifting from a “niche” to broader consumption, consumer attitudes to organic produce appear complex as they involve both socioeconomic and psychometric characteristics. However, understanding the development of consumer preferences for organic products is of great importance to bring the organic sector out of its niche. In order to address this issue we conducted research using a qualitative-quantitative integrated approach. First, 45 consumers of organic products were interviewed in person (face to face) using laddering techniques (qualitative analysis) to determine deep motivations for buying organic products. Then, in the second quantitative step, data from 203 telephone interviews, using a representative sample of consumers from Campania (a southern Italian region) were analysed by means of Multinomial Logit to attach a monetary value to deep motivations. The main innovative aspect of our research lies in the two-step approach (qualitative/quantitative analysis), enabling researchers to identify and quantify in monetary terms the importance of environmental and health components in consumer preferences for organic products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts on land use planning topics, including "Historical Amnesia: New Urbanism and the City of Tomorrow," "More Than Sector Theory: Homer Hoyt's Contributions to Planning Knowledge" and "Methodology for the Survival Analysis of Urban Building Stocks."

Presents abstracts of environmental planning research. They include "Integrating a performance-based approach into practice: A case study," "Local commitment to state-mandated planning in coastal North Carolina" and "Fiscal consequences of concentrated poverty in a metropolitan region."

A contingent valuation method is used in this paper to compare Chinese and Japanese consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay for non-GM vegetable oil. An often ignored issue—the scale factor in a discrete choice model—is explicitly considered, and parameter equality for different data sets is formally tested before reaching a conclusion. Results indicate that in these two countries consumers’ attitude factors and demographic traits have significantly different effects on their purchase intentions, and on average, Japanese consumers are willing to pay a much higher premium for non-GM vegetable oil than Chinese consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastic is becoming a more and more tangible problem worldwide. Wildlife, including fish of any size, ingests tiny particles of plastic that may end up in human bodies via food chain. While literature still debates on the potential harm to humans, it is evident that microplastic is damaging the marine ecosystem. Policy makers around the world have the duty to reduce, if not to eliminate, microplastic pollution on beaches and oceans. Many countries, including Australia, have moved first steps in this direction, however the challenge remains enormous. At present, there exists no market to reveal the preferences for reducing microplastic in the world's oceans, nor to determine whether people are willing to play a role in such a reduction. This research investigates the preferences for management policies tackling the issue of microplastic in the ocean off New South Wales (Australia) by means of a stated preference experiment. Findings suggest that residents of NSW would support policies that focus on microplastic pollution reduction and would be willing to contribute financially paying a yearly household levy. Via a latent class model, the paper supports policy makers by providing information specific to different clusters within the population, identifying three segments with preferences spanning from "very caring of the marine environment" to "not caring at all of the marine environment". • There is little knowledge around preferences for reducing microplastic pollution. • Three quarters of the sample would approve policies pro-reduction of microplastic. • Residents of NSW are willing to pay a levy to reduce microplastic pollution. • Preferences can be clustered in three segments ranging from pro- to indifferent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examination of users' preferences and needs can provide an additional and strong basis for decision making, which is applicable in the case of urban street renewal. In this study, a choice experiment on street renewal plans in Shanghai was conducted using an online survey (N = 546), and people's willingness to pay (WTP) for a set of street attributes was estimated, including bicycle lane separation, pedestrian path width, green looking ratio and recreational and commercial amenities. By comparing WTPs, the results show that people had greater preferences for adding resting facilities than any other attributes in this scene, and they also give some examples of prices of street attributes in a street renewal scene. The gender, age and occupation of participants had a significant effect on WTPs. Females showed greater WTP for setting separate bicycle lanes and improving greening and amenities, and the age of street users had a positive effect on WTP through the payment for street renewal. The reasoning section of the survey indicated the concern on the cost–benefit ratio, the need to renew and overall impression when choosing, and only a few participants were unwilling to pay anything for street improvement. This kind of economic valuation can estimate the values that people place on street attributes that are otherwise not measurable in design and planning practice; it can help us understand public preferences for street renewal and support decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]