Wade E. Martin

The role of values and objectives in communicating indicators of sustainability

Abstract Indicators can help package complex information into a usable form for public policy. We can think of no greater need for such clarity than the case of sustainability. The sustainability paradigm is applicable to the complex, urgent and interconnected problems we now face because of several characteristics. It is: (1) comprehensive and inclusive, (2) simple in concept and flexible, (3) value-based, and (4) an approach that necessitates consistency across policy areas. Indicators are needed to determine progress toward sustainability goals. In this paper, we argue that indicators of sustainability will only be effective if they support social learning by providing users with information they need in a form they can understand and relate to. These concepts also apply in other situations where policy makers must evaluate complex systems. We introduce a hierarchical control model, which is then used to demonstrate the path from values to objectives to actions and impacts, demonstrating the direct linkage from objectives to measures of the degree to which objectives have been reached. The model is extended first to sustainability goals and then to sustainability policies. We discuss the conceptual consistencies among the hierarchical model, sustainability theory and public policy processes. Using the concept of targeted indicators, we argue that science is effective when it is presented in a manner that is meaningful to the audience, and also represented in the context of their values and objectives. We conclude that the overlaps among policy, science and the publics’ values and objectives cannot be ignored. Policy, and particularly sustainability policy, is value driven. However, for the contextual application of those values to be realistic, society must understand the status and functioning of social, economic and environmental systems and be aware of the consequences of their choices. Policy makers will be more likely to create attainable policy goals if they understand the importance of interactions between the environment and society and the implications of choosing one objective over another. Achievement of the public’s objectives as embodied in policies can be facilitated through the use of indicators that have been derived from participatory processes, indicators that are chosen because they are meaningful to the public and reflect an understanding of their values and objectives.

An application of social choice theory to U.S.D.A. forest service decision making

Abstract To meet the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the U.S.D.A. Forest Service has changed the way forest plans are developed. The focus of this paper is to address the group-decision problem using social choice theory, specifically the voting models of Condorcet and Borda. The elements of a social choice problem are voters, alternatives, preferences, and aggregation. A case study from the Shoshone National Forest is used to demonstrate the use of the voting models from social choice theory. The solutions derived from the analysis are strategy and coalitional strategy proof implying that behaviors intended to influence the outcome, such as vote trading, would be unsuccessful.

Modelling public land-use decisions as a cooperative game

The process with which to involve the public in national forest management planning and decision-making is analysed. Owing in part to various statutes that mandate the early and frequent involvement of the public in national forest system land management decisions, stakeholder conflict and often litigation surround these decisions. Many approaches have been used in an attempt to resolve these conflicts. These approaches can be generally grouped into two categories. The first category, conflict management, brings conflict under control and recognizes the importance of positive conflict in relationships. It has been examined through both non-cooperative voting mechanisms and decision analysis. The second is conflict resolution, which attempts to terminate the conflict by facilitating a consensus decision. Conflict resolution has been modelled using tools such as cooperative game theory, voting models, and a variant on decision analysis. An application of two types of cooperative solution is applied to the management of USDA Forest Service lands in Wyoming. This paper will model conflict resolution as a cooperative game that considers the Forest Service position imposed by public land laws and regulations.

Household willingness to pay for improved rural water supplies: A comparison of four sites

The estimated willingness to pay for improved rural water supplies at four sites in the western United States ranges from

International negotiations on carbon dioxide reductions: A dynamic game model

4.43 to

IMPACT OF WILDFIRES AND FLOODS ON PROPERTY VALUES: A BEFORE AND AFTER ANALYSIS

17.29 per household per month. These results are similar to other rural water supply studies. The modeling results and comparison with previous studies indicate that the contingent valuation method can provide useful estimates of rural water supply benefits. This analysis provides information useful to private and public officials who must determine where limited funds should be spent for water supply improvements. Water suppliers and government analysts who do not have the resources to complete site specific valuation studies can use general benefit criteria and site specific factors presented in the analysis to target areas for water supply improvements. The range of benefits presented in the analysis can be used to help determine an acceptable level of costs for a proposed water supply project.

Modelling conflict using spatial voting games: an application to USDA Forest Service lands

Is there is a warming trend in the earths climate caused by an increase in concentrations of “greenhouse gases” in the upper atmosphere, it may be sensible to try to slow down that process by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and, in particular, the emissions of carbon dioxide produced by the energy sector of world economies. For a number of reasons, a consensus on such reductions is difficult to reach. In this article, we model the problem as a dynamic game with national governments, or coalitions of such governments, as players. Clearly, the negotiations on worldwide reductions in CO2 emissions can succeed only if there exists a cooperative solution superior to the noncooperative one. According to our model, the existence of a collectively preferable cooperative solution depends on the degree of concern among national governments about negative impacts of increased CO2 concentrations. In addition to this unsurprising conclusion, the model can provide insights as to whose concerns will count most for the success of the negotiations and who will have to be induced by side payments to participate.

Modeling environmental policy.

One of the most evident casualties of a natural disaster is the property market. The private and social costs from such events run into millions of dollars. In this paper, we use a unique dataset to examine the impact on residential house prices affected by natural disasters using a hedonic property (HP) values approach. For this purpose, we use data before and after a wildfire and floods from Rockhampton in central Queensland, Australia. The data is unique because one suburb was affected by wildfires and another was affected by floods. For the analysis, three suburbs namely Frenchville, Park Avenue and Norman Gardens are used. Frenchville was significantly affected by wildfires in the latter part of 2009 and to a lesser extent in 2012, while Park Avenue was affected by floods at the end of 2010, January 2011–2013. Norman Gardens, which was relatively unaffected, is used as a control site. This enables us to examine the before and after effects on property values in the three suburbs. The results confirm that soon after a natural disaster property prices in affected areas decrease even though the large majority of individual houses remain unaffected. Furthermore, the results indicate that the largely unaffected suburb may gain immediately after a natural disaster but this gain may disappear if natural disasters continue to occur in the area/region due to the stigma created. The results have several important policy decision and welfare implications which are briefly discussed in the paper.

Contemporary Economic Policy 2007-2008 Editor's Report

Conflict is an inherent component of natural resource management decisions in the USA and many other countries of the world. The diversity of potential uses creates a situation where individual preferences result in the need for compromise positions and coalition formation so that the natural resources can be managed. This paper demonstrates the contribution that cooperative and non-cooperative voting models can make in understanding the potential for conflict and the incentives for individuals to form coalitions. By modelling both collaborative and non-collaborative public involvement procedures, we gain insights from the differences in solutions, the implications for stability of the alternatives and the impact of the institutional power of the USDA Forest Service. The models are applied to the case of public lands management in the Shoshone National Forest.

Contemporary Economic Policy 2004-2005 Editor's Report

1. Modeling Environmental Policy: An Introduction W.E. Martin, L.A. McDonald. 2. Modeling Nonpoint Source Pollution in an Integrated System A. Bouzaher, J. Shogren. 3. Modeling Environmental & Trade Policy Linkages: The Case of EU and US Agriculture D.G. Abler, J.S. Shortle. 4. Modeling Ecosystem Constraints in the Clean Water Act: A Case Study in Clearwater National Forest P.F. Roan, W.E. Martin. 5. Costs & Benefits of Coke Oven Emission Controls T.J. Considine, et al. 6. Modeling Equilibria and Risk Under Global Environmental Constraints A. Haurie, R. Loulou. 7. Relative Contribution of the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect on the Coastal Changes in Louisiana I.J. Curiel, et al. 8. The Use of Mathematical Models in Policy Evaluation: Comments K.A. Miller. Index.