Ermanno Affuso

Registered sex offenders and house prices: An hedonic analysis

The sex offender registry system provides consumers with locations of registered sex offenders. This paper uses two methods to evaluate the impact of sex offender registries on house prices in Memphis. Using an hedonic spatial error model, we find that each additional sex offender in a one-mile radius results in a loss of about 2% of the property value and that a 10% increase in distance from the nearest sex offender increases value by about 0.17%. At the mean values of the independent variables we find a 7% loss of value within a one-mile radius and a 14% loss of value within a 0.1 mile radius.

Spatial Autoregressive Stochastic Frontier Analysis: An Application to an Impact Evaluation Study

This article presents a new framework for the impact evaluation studies of programs that aim to increase efficiency and productivity of firms. Likelihood ratio statistics support a spatial autoregressive stochastic production model that estimates the technical efficiencies of matched subsamples of treated and control agents determined using Propensity Score Matching. The model is used to analyze the efficiency of farmers who participate to an agricultural extension program in rural areas of the North West of Tanzania. This study reveals a 9.2% gain in technical efficiency from the program participation. There is evidence of a benefit of 5.7% gain in output value of non-participants as a spatial spillover effect.

The Impact of US Biofuels Policy on Agricultural Production and Nitrogen Loads in Alabama

The Energy Independence Security Act aims to increase the production of renewable fuels in order to improve the energy efficiency of the United States of America. This legislation set the biofuel production goal at 136.3 million m3 by 2022, with approximately 79 million m3 derived from advanced biofuels or renewable fuels other than corn ethanol. A bioeconomic model was used to assess the potential impact of the biofuel mandate in terms of nitrogen loss associated with corn production in northern Alabama considering the El Nino Southern Oscillation phases. From simulations conducted at the watershed level, the expansion in biofuel production would increase the production of corn by 122.89% with associated increase in nitrogen loss of 20%. Furthermore, nitrogen loss would be more severe in climatic transition towards La Nina.

WIC Cash Value Voucher Redemption Behavior in Jefferson County, Alabama, and Its Association With Fruit and Vegetable Consumption:

Purpose: To examine cash value voucher (CVV) redemption behavior and its association with fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption among women who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Jefferson County, Alabama. Participants: Between October 2014 and January 2015, 300 women (mean age: 27.6 years; 66.8% non-Hispanic black; 45.1% obese) who participated in the Birmingham WIC program were surveyed. Measures: Self-reported information on demographics, produce shopping behaviors, and residential access to fresh produce retailers (eg, supermarkets and farmers markets) was examined. Fruit and vegetable intake was collected via the Block Fruit–Vegetable–Fiber screener. Participants who self-reported redeeming the WIC CVV in each of the 3 prior months were classified as regular redeemers. Analysis: Multivariable-adjusted regression models were used to examine associations between variables of interest and regular WIC CVV redemption. Results: There were 189 (63.0%) study participants classified as regular WIC CVV redeemers. Regular redeemers and other participants (ie, irregular redeemers and nonredeemers) were similar with respect to demographics. Regular redeemers were more likely to use grocery stores to purchase FVs (P = .003) and consumed significantly more servings of FVs per day (β = .67; standard error = 0.24; P = .007). Conclusion: Regular WIC CVV redemption was associated with some produce shopping behaviors and increased FV consumption and among WIC participants in Jefferson County, Alabama.

The Environmental Impact of El Nino Southern Oscillation Forecasts

Yearly weather variability has an impact on agricultural supply and farmer welfare. More accurate weather predictions may increase the net returns for farmers but the indirect environmental impact of forecasts has not been examined. A stochastic bioeconomic model, which includes weather information, examines the impact of agricultural activities on water quality in a large agricultural area affected by the El Nino Southern Oscillation phases. This region is part of the Black Warrior-Tombigbee and the Middle Tennessee-Elk Basins in the Southeast of the United States. The results of the study reveal that if farmers were to use accurate weather predictions, their net returns may increase by 1.64% and the nitrogen loss associated with the agricultural activities would increase by 1.67%. The potential private value of climate uncertainty mitigation exceeds its social cost. In the long run, the net benefit of weather forecast could be approximately

Perceived Barriers and Facilitators of Farm-to-Consumer Retail Outlet Use Among Participants of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in Alabama

949,450 per year.

Virtual Water Trade in North America

ABSTRACT This research aimed to identify perceived barriers and facilitators of farm-to-consumer (FTC) retail outlet (eg, farmers’ markets, farm/roadside stands) usage among Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) participants residing in Birmingham, Alabama. Additionally, associations between barriers and facilitators reported and daily fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake were examined. A sample of 312 lower income women (mean age = 27.6; 67.0% non-Hispanic black; 45.3% obese) who participate in the Birmingham WIC program were surveyed between October 2014 and January 2015. Fischer’s exact test was used to assess associations between barriers (eg, outlet location, price, transportation), facilitators (eg, produce quality, produce variety), and high F&V intake (ie, consuming ≥ 5 servings per day). Approximately 81 (26.1%) participants reported using an FTC outlet to purchase produce in 2014. Lack of awareness (39.3%), outlet location (32.8%), and lack of interest (28.4%) were the barriers most often reported. Produce quality (69.1%), produce variety (49.4%), and price (39.5%) were the facilitators most often reported. Barriers and facilitators mentioned were not associated with high F&V intake. Lack of awareness and lack of interest are key barriers to FTC outlet usage among Birmingham WIC recipients. Interventions aiming to promote use of FTC outlets should consider the perceived barriers and facilitators to usage.

The external cost of asbestos in the housing market

The concept of virtual water – the amount of water used during the entire production chain of goods – represents a new tool for policymakers in water-scarce countries to shape policies in ways that improve water use efficiency. The present study extends work on the virtual water concept by testing a causality relationship between national water savings and economic growth of a water scarce country. Results of this study are twofold: (1) average annual precipitations explain the virtual water trade pattern in Mexico, and (2) there exists a Granger-causality relationship between agricultural and industrial growth and the annual volume of water saved in Mexico due to its acquisition of water-intensive crops from its North American Free Trade Agreement partners – Canada and the United States.

A linearisation of the maximum entropy formalism using separable programming

ABSTRACT This study uses a Generalized Method of Moments spatial error hedonic model to estimate the potential impact of asbestos on residential property prices. The analysis examines a large sample of 32,403 housing sales occurring between 2008 and 2015 in a fast-growing Coastal Alabama region. Results indicate the presence of asbestos depreciates house values by 13.44%, translating into an external cost of approximately

Farm-to-Consumer Retail Outlet Use, Fruit and Vegetable Intake, and Obesity Status among WIC Program Participants in Alabama.

25,300 per property.