Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2005, Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics

Contingent valuation (CV) is a commonly used method for estimating the value of non-market goods. This study attempted to create a more interdisciplinary framework for economic valuation, specifically for estimating the economic benefits of dam removal, and is part of an on-going research program at the Ohio State University on the economics of river restoration (Hitzhusen, 2004). The case study for this dissertation was the Ballville Dam located in Sandusky County, in northwest Ohio. A CV survey and several variants were developed to test several methodological considerations. The first methodological issue considered was that of incentive compatibility, as it relates to both the dichotomous-choice (DC) and open-ended (OE) elicitation formats used in contingent valuation. Two versions of the CV survey were mailed to Sandusky County residents; one with a DC willingness-to-pay question (WTP) and the other with an OE willingness-to-pay question. Mean WTP for the DC survey was $50.86 and for the OE survey was $48.42. The second part of the study examined the topic of stable versus constructive preferences. A new elicitation format, structured elicitation groups (SEG), was developed and a lab experiment using both a “mail survey” and SEG was run in order to test (1) whether preferences are being constructed during the contingent valuation elicitation process and (2) if that is the case, whether the SEG methodology accounts for such preferences. Results confirmed that the knowledge and awareness levels of SEG participants were significantly different pre-and post-survey and also suggested that SEG participants may have less difficulty with the OE WTP format. Finally, the study estimated mean WTP as $50.86 per household in Sandusky County and $50.91 per household within a 30-mile radius of the dam. The aggregated low-bound estimates of total social benefits based on these estimates were $863,000 and $12.3 million respectively, while the estimated cost of removal was $10.2 (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Fredrick Hitzhusen (Advisor) Subjects: Economics, Agricultural

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2004, Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics

This dissertation explores the physical and economic aspects of agricultural externalities and the economic value of marine and stream recreational fishing. The first essay, Empirical Investigation of Agricultural Externalities: Effects of Pesticide Use and Tillage System on Surface Water Quality and Treatment Costs, focuses on the off-farm water quality and water treatment cost effects of agricultural practices, specifically on the pesticide contamination in finished public surface water and water treatment costs in the Maumee River Basin, a major tributary to Lake Erie, located in northwestern Ohio, northeastern Indiana, and southeastern Michigan. Findings are that average chemical cost per million gallons of water decreases by 1.95% for a 1% reduction in pesticide application, while pesticide contamination level decreases by 4.32% for a 1% more adoption of conservation tillage in a typical watershed area. The second essay, The Economic Value of Marine Recreational Fishing: Applying Benefit Transfer to Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey (MRFSS), conducts a comprehensive survey of benefit transfer. Then, benefit transfer technique is applied to the estimation of access value to fishing sites and willingness to pay for better fishing experience in a marine recreational fishing environment. Using 1994 Northeast and 1997 Southeast MRFSS data, benefit transfer estimates are compared with original value estimates. Although benefit transfer error could go up to over 400% of original estimates for some cases, the magnitude of benefit transfer error is less than 100% of original estimates for most cases. The third essay, Recreational Fishing Value Estimation of Water Quality Improvements in Western Ohio Using Benefit Transfer, presents methods for estimating the value of recreational fishing trips and water quality improvements in two watersheds supporting a warm freshwater recreational fishery, the Stillwater River Watershed and Maumee River Basin, in western (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Lynn Forster (Advisor) Subjects: