Arthur J. Caplan

Willingness to Pay for Curbside Recycling with Detection and Mitigation of Hypothetical Bias

In this article, we estimate willingness to pay for curbside recycling. Using a unique data set, we also test for and detect significant hypothetical bias using stated- and revealed-preference data. A short-scripted “cheap-talk” statement is used to mitigate the bias and provide more efficient estimates of the welfare impacts of curbside recycling programs. Copyright 2003, Oxford University Press.

Pure public goods and income redistribution in a federation with decentralized leadership and imperfect labor mobility

Abstract We examine the non-cooperative provision of a pure public good by regional governments in a federation similar to the European Union, where regional governments are Stackelberg leaders and the central government is a Stackelberg follower — a federation with decentralized leadership. The center makes interregional income transfers after it observes the contributions to the pure public good. Imperfectly mobile workers react to regional and central governments’ policies by establishing residence in their most preferred region. Despite the degree of labor mobility, we show that the pure public good and interregional transfers are generally allocated efficiently in a federation with decentralized leadership.

Waste Not or Want Not? A Contingent Ranking Analysis of Curbside Waste Disposal Options

Abstract Recent growth in the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream nationwide has prompted considerable research into alternative waste management programs that would divert a portion of the MSW stream from landfills. Using a sample of 350 individuals from a random digit-dialed telephone survey, a discrete choice contingent ranking (CR) approach is used to estimate households willingness-to-pay for various curbside trash-separation services in Ogden, UT. Results indicate that Ogden residents are willing to pay approximately 3.7–4.6 cents per gallon of waste diverted for a curbside service that enables separation of green waste and recyclable material from other solid waste. Relative to costly waste diversion experiments conducted by other municipalities, the Ogden experience suggests CR is a cost-effective means for municipalities to evaluate waste disposal options.

Household Valuation of Curbside Recycling

This paper looks at the willingness to pay for, and participate in, a curbside recycling programme based on a survey of 401 residents in Ogden, Utah. Modifying the Cameron & James (1987) econometric model to fit ordered-interval data, we estimate that the mean willingness to pay for curbside recycling is US

Incentive Incompatibility and Starting-Point Bias in Iterative Valuation Questions: Comment

2.05 per month, and that 72% of the residents would willingly participate in such a programme. Furthermore, females, young people, college-educated, those currently recycling without monetary reward, those regarding recycling as beneficial to the community and nation, and those with relatively high incomes are willing to pay the most for curbside recycling.

Estimating Hypothetical Bias in Economically Emergent Africa: A Generic Public Good Experiment

In a recent study, Whitehead (2002) proposes incentive-incompatibility and starting-point-bias tests for iterative willingness-to-pay questions. We show that if restrictions associated with the nature of starting-point bias are not imposed on the estimation, one obtains inconsistent estimates of the structural parameters and may draw inaccurate conclusions regarding the extent of incentive incompatibility and starting-point bias in contingent-valuation survey data. (JEL Q26, C35)

Does "Free Sampling" Enhance the Value of Public Goods?

This paper reports results from a contingent valuation based public good experiment conducted in the African nation of Botswana. In a sample of university students, we find evidence that stated willingness to contribute to a public good in a hypothetical setting is higher than actual contribution levels. However, results from regression analysis suggest that this is true only in the second round of the experiment, when participants making actual contributions have learned to significantly lower their contribution levels. As globalization expands markets, and economies such as Botswanas continue to modernize, there is a growing need to understand how hypothetical bias will influence the valuation of public goods.

Estimating the effectiveness of a vehicle miles travelled tax in reducing particulate matter emissions

This study investigates whether ‘free sampling’ enhances the value of public goods. Using data from a unique field experiment, we find that the WTP premium effect associated with a brief opportunity to consume a local public good for free is relatively small and temporary. It therefore may not be cost effective to offer free-participation incentives for public goods.

Measuring the value of plastic and reusable grocery bags

This study estimates the effectiveness of a vehicle miles travelled (VMT) tax in controlling mobile-source emissions of particulate matter (PM2.5) in a non-attainment area located in northern Utah. Using a recently updated household-level dataset, the study finds no evidence of an endogenous relationship between choice of vehicle type and VMT. VMT elasticities are also estimated with respect to cost per mile that are in some cases larger in magnitude than those reported in previous studies. Based on vehicle emissions tests performed by the Houston Advanced Research Center, the study estimates the reduction in particulate emissions that would occur with two different sets of VMT tax rates. Principal findings are that a VMT tax rate of

Virgin River multi-objective optimization: maximizing endangered fish habitat and minimizing costs

0.003 per passenger car mile and