3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Speaker: Dr. Christian Vossler, University of Tennessee
Topic: Valuing surface water quality improvements: quality measurement, spatial variability, extent of the market, and incentive compatibility
Abstract: The base of scientific knowledge is currently insufficient for undertaking desired regulatory and benefit-cost analyses related to water quality in the U.S. and many other countries. This research seeks to help fill methodological gaps in the non-market valuation of surface water quality, and uses a state-of-the-art stated preference survey to estimate the benefits of nutrient-sensitive aquatic ecosystem services across the Midwestern U.S. We develop new metrics of water quality improvements to incorporate ecological health, which we combine with the traditional water quality ladder to define water quality scenarios that can be readily understood by the public. We explore the sensitivity of elicited benefit estimates to the scale of change (the geographic size in which the improvement occurs) and the extent of the market (how far the respondent lives from the improvements). Last, we develop and test the effects of information scripts (related to payment methods and the independence of stated choice questions), which are hypothesized to influence the incentives for responding truthfully to the policy scenarios we present to respondents.
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Meeting ID: 943 4773 7478
Passcode: 824692
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