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172 p., This doctoral thesis consists of three empirical applications aimed to conducting in-depth research inthe fields of economic valuations. Firstly, a series of general questions regarding the individualperception and awareness of air quality improvement in South Delhi is analysed by means of binaryand order logit models. Secondly, we aim to know individuals¿ preferences using discrete choiceexperiment, which can take into consideration by policymakers to design more efficient health andenvironmental policies. Lastly, we compare two independent Stated Preference (SP) approaches interms of design elements, presentation format and estimation model. In particular, we empiricallyexamined the willingness to pay estimates obtained from two different SP methods, which can befurther used to carry out the cost-benefit and benefit-transfer studies.

As the penetration of flexible loads and distributed energy resources (DERs) increases in distribution networks, demand dispatch schemes need to consider the effects of large-scale load control on distribution grid reliability. Thus, we need demand dispatch schemes that actively ensure that distribution grid operational constraints are network-admissible and still deliver valuable market services. In this context, this work develops and evaluates the performance of a new network-admissible version of the device-driven demand dispatch scheme called Packetized Energy Management (PEM). Specifically, this work develops and investigates the live grid constraint-based coordinator and metrics for performance evaluation. The effects of grid measurements for a practical-sized, 2,522-bus, unbalanced distribution test feeder with a 3000 flexible kW-scale loads operating under the network-admissible PEM scheme is discussed. The results demonstrate the value of live grid measurements in managing distribution grid operational constraints while PEM can effectively deliver frequency regulation services. Increased penetration of flexible loads and DERs on distribution system (DS) will lead to increased interaction of transmission and distribution (T&D) system operators to ensure reliable operation of the interconnected power grids, as well as the control actions at LV/MV grid in aggregation will have significant impact on the transmission systems (TS). Thus, a need arises to study the coupling of the transmission and distribution (T&D) systems. Therefore, this work develops a co-simulation platform based on decoupled approach to study integrated T&D systems collectively. Additionally, the results of a decoupled method applied for solving T&D power flow co-simulation is benchmarked against the collaborator developed unified solution which proves the accuracy of the decoupled approach. The existing approaches in the literature to study steady-state interaction of TS-DS have several sh

Reading skill has been observed to be underdeveloped in secondary school students. To address this issue and locate the responsible factor, the stance of the teachers is of no less importance. Unfortunately, while framing educational policies, the policymakers depended less on the input of the teachers, who are well-versed in such problems. To address the under-developed English reading skill from the teachers’ perspective, a sample of twenty secondary-level teachers was chosen from the population of teachers of English in public and government schools of Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, which were affiliated with the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Islamabad. Forty-six items related to professional, environmental, instructional, and assessment categories were set in the questionnaire and answered on a Likert scale. The researchers concluded that the stunted growth of students’ reading skills in English could be attributed to the lack of emphasis on the reading skill in the teachers' training programs, teachers’ ignorance about the habit of regression, avoidance of teaching about techniques like previewing and reading in chunks, low participation in professional training, the emphasis over on-spot correction, and lack of knowledge and resources for arranging proper lighting for learners’ reading.

Air pollution is one of the most pressing problems in India, taking millions of lives annually. Despite unprecedented air quality deterioration, little is known about individuals’ preferences for air quality improvement in India. As a first step, this study presents results from a discrete choice experiment eliciting the preferences for air quality improvement of inhabitants in South Delhi, India, which is part of the city of Delhi and where air pollution is causing extensive health hazards. Adequate knowledge about individuals’ preferences can help in designing more effective health and environmental policies. Overall, we find a significant willingness to pay for improving the air quality in South Delhi. As expected, people with a higher level of education and a higher income are more willing to pay to alleviate and prevent the effects of air pollution. At the same time, significant gender effects are identified; women seem to have more homogeneous preferences regarding air quality than men. Furthermore, due to income inequalities, a significant number of respondents are not willing to pay.

This dissertation consists of three chapters in environmental and natural resource economics. In the first chapter, using survey data, I investigate what factors are important in people's evacuation decisions in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. I examine if temporal spillover is present in their decision making and how significant the spillover effect is. With that objective in mind, I examine the effect of previous evacuation experience on future evacuation decision. I also analyze how network effects influence people's evacuation decisions during a natural disaster. As the threat of climate change grows, communities around the world are facing the dangers of encountering different kinds of natural hazards with higher frequency and intensity. When people are dealing with multiple hazards, exposure to one hazard can trigger or change their risk perception about the other hazard. In the second chapter, I use data from Lake County in Florida to analyze spillover effects in terms of multiple hazards. I examine if people are exposed to one type of natural hazard, whether their concern for another type of natural hazard increases or not. To test my hypothesis, in the second chapter, I analyze if exposure to hurricane Irma triggers people's risk perception about their exposure to the risk of sinkhole and how that added risk perception affects the real estate market. Until 2007, the sinkhole insurance policy coverage in Florida was not very well defined, and it was very broad. In 2011, a new legislature was passed by the Florida Senate, narrowing the scope of qualifying damage and including some other provisions. The new law was made applicable from July 2016. In the third chapter, I attempt to capture the effect of this new insurance law on people's risk perception and how that transformed risk perception is reflected in the housing prices. The main focus of this dissertation is to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of different types of spillover effects of risk