Aggregating the benefits of environmental improvements: distance-decay functions for use and non-use values |
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Authors: | Hanley Nick Schläpfer Felix Spurgeon James |
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Affiliation: | Department of Economics, University of Glasgow, Adam Smith Building, G12 8RT, Scotland, Glasgow, UK. n.d hanley@socsci.gla.ac.uk |
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Abstract: | One of the main problems in using environmental cost-benefit analysis is deciding on the relevant population: whose benefits should we count? This is important since aggregate benefits depend on both per-person benefit and the number of beneficiaries. Yet this latter term is often hard to evaluate. Distance-decay functions are one way of addressing this problem. In this paper, we present estimates of distance-decay functions for a particular environmental improvement, namely a reduction in low flow problems on the River Mimram in Southern England. We do this both for users and non-users, in the context of a contingent valuation study of the benefits of improving low flow conditions. We test whether distance-decay effects for mean Willingness to Pay are stronger for a single environmental good (the River Mimram, in this case) than for a more inclusive set (here, all rivers in Thames region which suffer from low flow problems). Finally, we explore the impact on part-whole bias, in terms of the relationship between WTP for an individual site and WTP for a more inclusive group of sites, of allowing for distance-decay effects. |
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