Pia Nilsson

Are valuations of place-based amenities driven by scale?

Abstract Amenities play an important role in explaining regional attractiveness as they increase the competition between places and the demand for housing. This paper contributes to the literature on valuations of place-based amenities by estimating hedonic prices for a differentiated set of amenities, and by examining the link between urban density and amenity valuations. The empirical analysis is based on a sample of 8319 single-family home sales observed during the period 2001–2011. Results show that amenities are valued differently depending on their size, the relationship between size and distance and neighbourhood characteristics. Differentiating among a set of nature- and culture based amenities shows that it is profoundly the value of proximity to open space that vary with neighbourhood density. Results are robust when testing for non-constant implicit prices over different time periods and novel to the literature on valuation of open spaces using the hedonic price model.

Spatial spillovers and households’ involvement in the non-farm sector: evidence from rural Rwanda

ABSTRACT This paper tests for external effects of local economic activity on non-farm income using survey data from Rwanda. The empirical analysis uses a random sample of 8071 households and a multilevel model to mitigate correlations between individual outcomes and geographical variables. Findings show a positive association between a higher initial local diversity of economic activity and non-farm earnings. Results also point to the importance of access to markets and services indicating that an important part of a household’s capacity to earn non-farm income is associated with factors that are external to the household.

The Role of Land Use Consolidation in Improving Crop Yields among Farm Households in Rwanda

Abstract Relative to other developing regions, the role of land consolidation in increasing crop yields is poorly understood in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper examines the role of land use consolidation on agricultural productivity among smallholder farmers in Rwanda. Household-level data are used to estimate a fixed-effects model with matched control groups to mitigate selection bias. The study finds a positive association between land use consolidation and crop yields, but only among farm households with landholdings greater than one hectare, which is well above the average farm size in Rwanda. Findings also point to the importance of non-organic fertilisers and irrigation as there appear to be significant benefits associated with further increases in their use among the consolidated farms.