Dissecting the tragedy: A spatial model of behavior in the commons

Much of the discussion of the tragedy of the commons focuses on aggregate impacts, often in data-poor developing country settings. Few non-experimental empirical studies shed light on contextual circumstances driving the extent of rent dissipation and overexploitation. We utilize a high-resolution data set to estimate a behavioral model of fishermen's spatial choices. A unique policy setting allows us to measure the degree to which individual fishermen's choices appear aimed at mitigating the tragedy of the commons in a small numbers setting. We find evidence of partial mitigation in excess of what we would expect under pure self-interest but short of what would occur under group-maximizing behavior. We also examine how contextual factors in the fishery shape the degree of cooperation within the fishing season and find evidence that competition for the common pool resource distorts fishermen's implicit cost of distance—creating a form of “common property inertia”.     

Vested Interest theory and disaster preparedness

Three studies were designed to extend a combination of vested interest theory (VI) and the extended parallel process model of fear appeals (EPPM) to provide formative research for creating more effective disaster preparedness social action campaigns. The aim was to develop an effective VI scale for assessing individual awareness and ‘vestedness’ relevant to disaster preparedness. Typical preparedness behaviours are discussed with emphasis on earthquakes and tornados in particular. Brief overviews of VI and the EPPM are offered, and findings are presented from three studies (one dealing with earthquakes, and two with tornados) conducted to determine the factor structure of the key VI components involved, and to develop and test subscales derived from the two theories. The paper finishes with a discussion of future research needs and suggestions on how the new subscales may be applied in the design and execution of more effective disaster preparedness campaigns.     

地震巨灾债券雏议

初步研究了一种新的减灾金融手段--巨灾债券.在考虑地震巨灾发生的可能性、发行商将筹镲集来的资金再投资取得的收益、巨灾发生后返还本金的比例和债券的发行费用等因素的基础上,以发行商和投资者双方利益的平衡为原则,密切结合工程地震风险评估,探讨了巨灾债券利率的确定方法.结合我国某个具体地区按文中所述方法设计的地震巨灾债券实例,估算了债券产品可能的利率、相应的发行费用和再投资收益率,据此讨论了我国发行地震巨灾债券的可行性和生命力.     

Methane emissions and related physicochemical soil and water parameters in rice–fish systems in Bangladesh

Lowland rice fields constitute a semi aquatic environment, which is potentially suitable for fish production. Little is known about the effect of fish on greenhouse gas emissions from integrated rice–fish systems. An experiment was carried out at the Bangladesh Agricultural University to assess the effect of the stocking of fish on methane emissions from rice fields. Common carp, Cyprinus carpio L., and Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.) were stocked in a mixed culture and subjected to three different input regimes: (1) urea fertilization according to the recommendation of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), (2) supplementary feeding at 2 × maintenance level and (3) an elevated feeding schedule where 4 × maintenance level was fed initially and 2 × maintenance level towards the end of the growth period. Rice only with urea fertilization according to BRRI-recommendation was included as the control. The presence of fish increased methane emissions in all three rice–fish treatments. Average emission over the cropping season was 34, 37, and 32 mg m⁻² h⁻¹ in the rice–fish treatments, respectively, and 20 mg m⁻² h⁻¹ in rice only. Apart from an increase in methane emission, a significant drop (p < 0.05) in floodwater pH and dissolved oxygen concentration was observed in the rice–fish plots. Both parameters were the lowest in the treatment where a higher feeding rate was provided. Due to the fish activity, floodwater in the rice–fish treatments was more turbid, as reflected in higher particulate inorganic matter (PIOM). An elevated level of dissolved methane was observed in the floodwater of the feed supplemented rice–fish plots. Methane emissions showed negative correlation with morning and afternoon pH of the floodwater (r = −0.46; r = −0.56, p < 0.001) and morning and afternoon dissolved oxygen level (r = −0.53; r = −0.46, p < 0.001). Positive correlations were recorded between morning and afternoon floodwater temperature (r = 0.49; r = 0.44, p < 0.001) and with air temperature (r = 0.54, p < 0.001). The results suggest that the stocking of fish has an increasing effect on methane emissions from rice fields.     

DISTRIBUTIONAL ISSUES IN WESTERN MUNICIPAL AND INDUSTRIAL WATER SUPPLY1

ABSTRACT Financing and repayment provisions of western water projects effect transfers of income among federal taxpayers, electric power users, local water users, and property owners. We use the Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah Project as a case study in the distribution of municipal and industrial water costs. We examine the distribution of costs among taxpayers and water users in different political/geographical jurisdictions, and how this distribution is affected by water law, cost allocation procedures, and the choice of revenue source for local repayment of reimbursable costs. In light of the magnitude of distributional effects of present water policy, we conclude that lack of open debate on water issues is unfortunate. We conclude with speculation on the relationship of western water policy to the motivation of western water leaders who are instrumental in its formulation     

New directions in Mexican environmental policy

Since taking office 1 December 1988, Mexico's incumbent president, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, has introduced important innovations in environmental policy that distinguish his administration from those of his predecessors. Greater administrative continuity, improved regulatory capacity achieved through statutory change, focused priorities centering on pollution abatement in Mexico City, and an aggressive search for external financing for pollution control are hallmarks of Salinas' approach. The success of these environmental reforms depends heavily on economic recovery, however, and environmental policy still suffers from underfunding, bureaucratic fragmentation, and heavy reliance on voluntarist enforcement mechanisms. Recently, U.S. congressional debate on a proposed free trade agreement with Mexico has been a factor in spurring the Salinas government to take new antipollution and conservation measures. Mexico's growing environmental movement is also an important force behind the government's new responsiveness in environmental matters. The Salinas administration recognizes the issue's political salience and has sought to defuse environmental criticism using a large arsenal of resources at its disposal. Salinas' environmental policy strategy may thus be characterized as both proactive and reactive in nature. While the reforms are evidence that Mexico is beginning to take environmental matters more seriously, economic recovery and sustained environmental activism remain vital to further progress.     

论环境的行政公益诉讼

中国尚未建立环境的行政公益诉讼,而传统诉讼制度的问题和缺陷日益显露,导致环境得不到很好地保护。根据环境法中关于环境权的理论、公众参与的原则以及公益诉讼的理论,中国应该尽快建立环境行政公益诉讼制度,赋予公众环境的行政公益诉讼资格,使作为公共利益的环境能得到切实的保护和改善。     

Inbreeding and competitive ability in the common shrew (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sorex araneus</Emphasis>)

Common shrews (Sorex araneus) maintain a foraging territory for most of their immature life. Possessing a high-quality territory is vital for overwinter survival in the harsh boreal climate, and hence, competitive ability in territorial disputes is expected to be an important component of individual fitness. To test possible association between individual inbreeding and fitness, we used neutral arena trials to assess the competitive performance of young common shrews. The experiment involved pairs of individuals originating from small island populations, where breeding must often occur between related individuals, and from large outbred mainland populations. The percentage of neutral arena tests that an individual won was highly significantly explained by internal relatedness, a surrogate measure of individual inbreeding, measured using ten microsatellite markers. Body size, sex, learning, and population type (mainland vs island) made no significant contributions. Even a low level of individual inbreeding may lead to significant adverse consequences in multiple territorial contests, which may represent a significant cause of inbreeding depression in many wild vertebrate populations.     

Different ranking methods: potentialities and pitfalls for the case of European opinion poll

Prioritization and ranking of objects are primary needs in various substantive fields. It might be said that ranking and comparison are the first step in every risk assessment procedure, whatever the ‘risk’ is intended as: social, environmental, political or economic. Often objects to be ranked are valued by a multi-dimensional attribute which is usually transformed into a composite numerical score. In spite of conventional solutions, the author agrees with recent recommendations of performing multiple ranking, keeping indicators separated. Different innovative methods are analyzed and compared: Hasse diagrams method, POSAC and Nonlinear PCA. The first one stems directly from partial order theory, the second one may be seen as an approximation of Hasse representation in a two dimensional space, whilst the third one belongs to the wide set of non-linear multivariate techniques and it is particularly suitable in handling data of categorical type. Among them, the first two methods compare objects on the basis only on order property of data, whilst the last one simultaneously performs an optimal scale of qualitative attributes and a ranking of objects. The case study is based on the Eurobarometer survey carried out in 2002, at the request of the European Commission, which collects Europeans opinion about various political and social issues. The analysis is focused on users’ level of satisfaction about access easiness, cost, quality, information received and contracts of various services of general interest, such as telephone services, power (gas and electricity) providers, water and postal utilities, urban and rail transports. Separate indicators are set up for each facet of each service within different European regions. Eventually, the ranking of European regions is performed on the basis of the overall performance of services of general interest, as perceived by users. Selected methods lead to almost alike results, still with some differentiations due to different approaches used. As it frequently occurs, each method has its own advantages and pitfalls which are here explored and compared.