Berrens, Robert P.

August, 2008

Forest Amenities and Location Choice in the Southwest

By: Hand, Michael S.; Thacher, Jennifer A.; McCollum, Daniel W.; Berrens, Robert P.
Locations with natural characteristics, such as forest, are thought to be attractive residential locations. This proposition is tested in the Southwest United States, composed of Arizona and New Mexico. This paper presents a conditional logit model of location choice estimated with household observations from the U.S census, geographic information system (GIS) data, and county-level data. Results suggest that forest area, both in one's own location and nearby, increases the probability of choosing a location. But significant heterogeneity in location choices exists; an income effect and life-cycle effects on the demand for forest amenities appear to determine location choices.
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August, 2005

Testing for Budget Constraint Effects in a National Advisory Referendum Survey on the Kyoto Protocol

By: Li, Hui; Berrens, Robert P.; Bohara, Alok K.; Jenkins-Smith, Hank C.; Silva, Carol L.; Weimer, David L.
In contrast to providing standard reminders about remembering household budgets, does asking survey respondents about their discretionary income and its use affect their voting responses in a national advisory referendum survey? We explore this question using U.S. household data from a unique set of multi-mode random samples (telephone and Internet surveys), and an advisory referendum concerning the Kyoto Protocol. The contingent valuation method is applied to estimate household willingness to pay (WTP) for a split-sample treatment: respondents who only received a standard reminder of household budgets (control group) versus respondents who received two mental accounting-type questions on discretionary income and its uses (treatment group). Results indicate that the treatment significantly influences voting responses and lowers estimated household WTP.
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December, 2000

POLICY CHANGES AND THE DEMAND FOR LOTTERY-RATIONED BIG GAME HUNTING LICENSES

By: Scrogin, David; Berrens, Robert P.; Bohara, Alok K.
Lotteries are commonly used to allocate big game hunting privileges. In this study, lottery demand and consumer surplus are modeled before and after policy changes designed to increase participation. The application is to New Mexico elk hunt lotteries. Given the volume and variety of hunts, we adopt a disaggregated and flexible count modeling approach. Two welfare measures are estimated: Marshallian surplus and a proposed measure that incorporates consumer uncertainty. The Marshallian measure produces smaller and slightly less precise estimates. However, regardless of the surplus measure examined, welfare increased significantly with the policy changes, while revenues changed by less than 1%.
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July, 1997

CONTINGENT VALUATION OF RURAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT WITH TESTS OF SCOPE AND MODE STABILITY

By: Lindberg, Kreg; Johnson, Rebecca L.; Berrens, Robert P.
Contingent valuation is used to measure the social impacts of tourism in rural Oregon communities. Impacts are substantial, for example, annual household willingness to pay (WTP) to reduce traffic congestion is $186. Study features include tests of sensitivity to a change in scope, tests of stability across survey mode, and a thorough system of no vote follow-up questions in a referendum format. While there is no evidence of scope effects (at the 0.05 level), results indicate that conclusions regarding sensitivity to scope may be dependent on the test used. WTP estimates are substantially less with the mail versus telephone survey mode.
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December, 1996

VALUING THE PROTECTION OF MINIMUM INSTREAM FLOWS IN NEW MEXICO

By: Berrens, Robert P.; Ganderton, Philip T.; Silva, Carol L.
Currently, New Mexico law does not provide any legal avenue of protecting instream flows. A change in the status quo requires that a prima facie case be made establishing sufficient evidence of the public benefits from maintaining instream flows to warrant consideration, or standing, in future water policy deliberations. Using the contingent valuation (CV) method, we investigate the nonmarket benefits of protecting minimum instream flows in New Mexico. Results from a dichotomous choice CV telephone survey show significant nonmarket values for protecting instream flows that are sensitive to a change in scope and insensitive to a group-size reminder.
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December, 1996

WELFARE EFFECTS OF FISHERY POLICIES: NATIVE AMERICAN TREATY RIGHTS AND RECREATIONAL SALMON FISHING

By: Lin, Pei-Chien; Adams, Richard M.; Berrens, Robert P.
Severe declines in Pacific Northwest salmon stocks, coupled with increasing recreational demands, and judicial decisions supporting Native American fishing rights create challenges for fishery agencies. This article explores the welfare effects on recreational anglers of alternative salmon allocation policies to meet Native American treaty rights. A discrete choice random utility model, coupled with a Poisson trip frequency model, is used to analyze these welfare effects. The model is fit to survey data from the Willamette River spring chinook fishery, an important recreational fishery in Oregon. Management options have dramatically different welfare effects.
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