William M. Park

A Logit Analysis Of Participation In Tennessee'S Forest Stewardship Program

This study determines the likely effect of cost-share incentives on participation in the Tennessee Forest Stewardship Program and identifies other factors that may contribute to participation. A random utility model is used to determine the probability that a landowner will choose to participate in the program. A binary choice model is specified to represent the dichotomous decision and a logit procedure is used to fit the model. Data are obtained from mail surveys of 4,000 randomly selected landowners. Results indicate that attitudes and knowledge of forestry programs may be more influential in a landowners decision to participate than monetary incentives.

Spatial and Temporal Variation in the Housing Market Values of Lot Size and Open Space

This research analyzes spatial and temporal variation in the effects of lot size and proximity to open space on residential home values in a single Tennessee county. The findings show that the value of proximity to greenways, parks, and water bodies increased over time, while the value of lot size and proximity to golf courses fell. Proximity to open space is found to be a substitute for lot size, although the degree of substitutability has weakened over time. Geographic variation in the marginal effects of lot size and proximity to open space is analyzed using locally weighted regression analysis. (JEL C31, Q51)

Estimating External Costs of Municipal Landfill Siting Through Contingent Valuation Analysis: A Case Study

Much of the solid waste stream in the United States is generated by metropolitan areas, while associated landfills are often located in adjacent rural communities. Landfill disposal of municipal solid waste often creates external costs to nearby residents. Contingent valuation was used to estimate external costs of siting a landfill in the Carter community of Knox County, Tennessee. Estimates of annual external costs were

Relationship between value of open space and distance from housing locations within a community

227 per household. Household income, size, years in the community, and distance from the proposed landfill and the respondents education, sex, and perception of health risks were important in determining a households willingness to pay to avoid having a landfill in the Carter community. Also, households whose drinking water supplies were at risk of contamination were willing to pay

Distributional Constraints on Acceptance of Nonpoint Pollution Controls

141 more than those who used piped city water or bottled water.

Spatial Analysis of Rural Economic Development Using a Locally Weighted Regression Model

This research uses a sequence of hedonic spatial regressions for a metropolitan housing market in the Southeastern United States to explore a new procedure that establishes the relationship between the value attributable to open space and distance from housing locations (a “distance-decay function”) within a given community. A distance-decay function allows identification of the range of distance over which open space affects housing values and the estimation of a proxy for the value added to nearby houses resulting from hypothetical open space preservation. Ex post analyses of the open-space regression coefficients suggest marginal implicit price functions for three types of open space that decay as open space area increases with respect to house location. After controlling for other factors in the spatial hedonic model, simple distance-decay functional relationships were established between the implicit prices of developed open space, forest-land open space, and agriculture-wetland open space and the buffer radius of the open-space areas surrounding a given housing location. The proposed method may be useful for identifying the range over which preferences for different types of open space are exhibited.

Two Dimensions of the Spatial Distribution of Housing: Dependency and Heterogeneity across Tennessee's Six Metropolitan Statistical Areas

An economically efficient, nonpoint pollution control strategy for a multijurisdictional 208 area may result in a benefit-cost distribution that will prohibit its acceptance. Vesting financial authorities in a regional water quality management agency would allow for implementation of a local compensation scheme designed to facilitate acceptance. Such a scheme would involve raising revenues from water quality beneficiaries that would, in turn, be paid as inducements for implementation of nonpoint control practices. These propositions are first defended with a theoretical argument. Then a linear programming model is applied for an empirical case analysis.

THE ROLE OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT DECISIONS: THE CASE OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

This study uses locally weighted regression to identify county-level characteristics that serve as drivers of creative employment throughout the southern United States. We found that higher per capita income, greater infrastructure investments, and the rural nature of a county tended to promote creative employment density, while higher scores on a natural amenity index had the opposite effect. We were also able to identify and map clusters of rural counties where the marginal effects of these variables on creative employment density were greatest. These findings should help rural communities to promote creative employment growth as a means of furthering rural economic development.

Is Growth in the Health Sector Correlated with Later-Life Migration?

A two-stage multinomial logit selection model is used to model the relationship between demographic characteristics and housing density across Tennessee’s six metropolitan statistical areas. The study finds that there is both spatial correlation and heterogeneity in the most densely populated area, has the least amount of spatial correlation among housing density at the neighborhood level, while Johnson City, which has the lowest overall housing density, has the highest degree of spatial correlation.

Factors Associated with Backyard Composting Behavior at the Household Level

The issue of solid waste management has risen to national prominence in the last decade, fueled by increasing waste disposal costs and changing public attitudes. This situation presents a major opportunity for economists to use their applied microeconomics skills to assist state and local governments manage waste in a cost effective fashion. While findings from formal research efforts may ultimately make their way into the decision-making process, perhaps economists can play an even more significant role in emphasizing the importance of the most basic economic concepts and principles for sound decision making in solid waste management or the many other areas in which local public choices are made. These areas would include at least the following: opportunity cost, marginal analysis of costs and benefits, and the role of economic incentives.