Browsing by Author "Duke, Joshua M."
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Item Additionality in Water Quality Trading: Evidence from Maryland’s Nutrient Offset Program(Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware, Newark, DE., 2014-03) Duke, Joshua M.; McGrath, Joshua M.; Fiorellino, Nicole M.; Monteith, Tyler S.; Rosso, EmileighThis paper examines the potential for nonadditional nonpoint loadings in the Chesapeake Bay as a result of institutions in the new Maryland Nutrient Trading program. The analysis uses real land/agronomic data from a survey of Eastern Shore fields—that are below-baseline—to run BMP scenarios in the trading nterface. Results show 36.8% of acres are estimated to be below-baseline, suggesting the Maryland performance-based baseline may be “looser” than many might think. Regression models isolate the marginal impact on average of seven BMPs, individually adopted, using a sample of 77 below-baseline fields. The results suggested that six BMPs generate nitrogen offsets, while four BMPs generate substantively significant phosphorus offsets. Coupled with potentially permissive rules about additionality for annual practices and monitoring costs, the analysis suggests that annual practices pose viable avenues for nonadditional loadings. The analysis concludes with an estimation of the possible impact on the Bay if 50% of below baseline fields have a BMP currently in place. The analysis shows that for some structural BMPs, the impact of one BMP can be at a level that is 3.0 - 8.3% of the current N and P load for agricultural in the Eastern Shore.Item Conserving Spatially Explicit Benefits in Ecosystem Service Markets: Lab and Artefactual Field Tests of Network Bonuses and Spatial Targeting(Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware, Newark, DE., 2014-01) Fooks, Jacob; Higgins, Nate; Messer, Kent D.; Duke, Joshua M.; Hellerstein, Dan; Lynch, LoriConserving contiguous areas often enhances environmental benefits. However, most conservation efforts are voluntary, incentive-based, do not reward landowners for contiguity, or select based on contiguity. Thus, achieving optimal contiguity of conserved parcels is unlikely especially with limited budgets. Using laboratory and artefactual field experiments, this paper evaluates two mechanisms in the context of reverse auctions for achieving optimal contiguity: network bonuses and spatial targeting. Results suggest that spatial targeting alone improves the aggregate environmental and social welfare outcomes while network bonuses alone result in worse outcomes. The interaction of the bonus-effect and the targeting-effect is positive, suggesting that in a competitive auction environment that already includes bonuses, adding spatial targeting minimizes the damage.Item Continuous Attribute Values in a Simulation Environment: Offshore Energy Production and Mid-Atlantic Beach Visitation(Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware, Newark, DE., 2017-06) Fooks, Jacob R.; Messer, Kent D.; Duke, Joshua M.; Johnson, Janet B.; Parsons, George R.This research measures the welfare losses to beachgoers from the visual disamenity associated with offshore energy projects. We use a contingent-behavior approach in a field setting wherein respondents use a simulation to control the placement of offshore wind turbines and/or oil platforms in their choices. Our model allows for valuation results with continuous, instead of discrete, spatial resolution. We analyze the data using a duration or survival model consistent with random utility theory and recover an expression for willingness-to-pay as a function of distance of shore. We find three distinct clusters of participant responses. Most participants were relatively accepting of the wind turbines and had a much more elastic damage function as compared to oil platforms. On the other hand, a minority of participants displayed a strong aversion to any offshore installations, and had a higher level of damage from turbines instead of oil platforms.Item Designing a Web-based Interface for Student Peer Review on a Unix Server(Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware, Newark, DE., 2002-02) Duke, Joshua M.; Whisler, JeffThis report describes an application of and the procedures for developing a web-based interface on a Unix server, using a simple guestbook program. The advantage of the guestbook platform is that it is commonly available on college campuses and can be secured. The application facilitates problem-based learning and other active-learning goals in an undergraduate seminar in environmental law. This report provides an example of the application and reviews the programming necessary to accomplish the learning goals.Item The Ecosystem Services of Residential Landscapes: A Delaware Study Site(Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware, Newark, DE., 2014-03) Duke, Joshua M.; Bruck, Jules; Barton, Susan; Murray, MeganThis report describes research on a sustainable landscape intervention in Delaware that altered a residential landscape in order to enhance ecosystem services. This intervention was termed, “contemporary” landscaping. Data were collected on installation and management costs and a survey of perceived impacts to off-site residents was conducted. The landscape intervention occurred in the suburban “Applecross” development in northern New Castle County, Delaware. The affluent neighborhood has houses with large yards on lots of about 1.2 acres. The intervention sought to apply recent scientific advances to enhance ecosystem services, especially water quality protection. The intervention consisted of reducing the lawn space from 98% of the yard to less than 50%. Native plants and various types of land cover were introduced, including a constructed forested area and separate meadow. With this landscape intervention came many ecosystem services including: • Water quantity and quality improvements; • Aesthetic changes; and • Expanded habitats. The intervention cost approximately $32,000 to establish. Though high, this cost aligns with landscaping costs in similar affluent neighborhoods. An intercept survey of non-neighboring Delaware residents was conducted to understand public preferences for this type of intervention, particularly the off-site received costs and benefits of the altered ecosystem services. An additional, small survey was conducted with neighbors. The survey data show a majority of the ecosystem service changes were perceived to have a positive impact on people’s quality of life, though some had a negative or no effect. The most important impacts were found to be: • Undesirable wildlife might be present (negative); • Better flood control (positive); and • Better water quality (positive). The neighbors’ survey had an inadequately small sample, but generally matched the results of the other Delaware residents. In sum, the research shows that contemporary landscapes may possibly increase social welfare, but high establishment costs will preclude many landowners from adoption. Further valuation research is needed to determine benefits and cost estimates. The research suggests that even though contemporary landscapes are not prevalent, it may not be due to preference for traditional yards with extensive lawn space. Rather, there may be a mismatch between public benefits and landowner costs.Item Efficient Solutions to Traffic Congestion Externalities: More Complicated Than You Might Think(Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware, Newark, DE., 2018-08) Palm-Forster, Leah H.; Duke, Joshua M.Through this guided activity, students will gain a deeper understanding of congestion externalities by analyzing the welfare implications of road congestion and road tolls. Students will work in groups and report-out periodically so that the instructor can check understanding and guide learning.Item Farmland Preservation Techniques: Identifying New Options(2003-06) Duke, Joshua M.; Lynch, LoriThis report describes over 20 novel techniques for preserving agricultural land. Using a survey of various literatures, phone interviews with program managers, and original policy design, these techniques are explained and categorized. A conceptual framework is offered that distinguishes the various roles governments can assume in order to affect outcomes in agricultural land markets. These roles are regulatory, incentive-based, and governmental participatory. Also, a fourth category of hybrid techniques are presented.Item Gauging Support for Innovative Farmland(Department of Food and Resource Economics, 2005-10) Duke, Joshua M.; Lynch, LoriThis report describes the results of interviews and focus groups, gauging support for innovative farmland preservation techniques. Four techniques were selected for assessment from approximately 30 novel techniques identified in previous research: (1) Term conservation easements; (2) Land preservation tontines; (3) Rights of first refusal; and (4) Agricultural conservation pension with purchase of agricultural conservation easements. Data were collected from three types of stakeholder groups, including land preservation program administrators in Delaware and Maryland, Delaware legislators, and Delaware landowners. The results show that these stakeholders believed rights of first refusal was the most promising concept, and the groups identified some specific challenges to effective implementation. Targeting areas to implement the technique and having a dedicated, regular funding source were perceived to be essential. Agricultural conservation pensions were also viewed favorably, although some were skeptical that it could be implemented in practice. Tontines were perceived to be an interesting concept, but confusing, difficult to implement, and needing more work to flesh out details. Term easements were, for the most part, not viewed favorably. Most saw term easements having the fatal shortcoming of impermanent preservation. A fiscal analysis was preformed to demonstrate how additional funding for innovative techniques might complement continued purchase of agricultural conservation easements (PACE) activities. The results show that the conservation pension might preserve more acres than PACE, while rights of first refusal will preserve less, but more threatened, acres. Term easements should preserve many more acres than PACE, albeit temporarily. The land preservation tontine will likely act to increase the value of land maintained in agricultural land use, but will not preserve land in the same manner as the other three techniques. Hence, land preservation tontines might best be viewed as a complement to the other preservation techniques.Item Improving targeting of farmers for enrollment in agri-environmental programs(Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 2023-05-18) Duke, Joshua M.; Johnston, Robert J.; Shober, Amy L.; Liu, ZhongyuanAgricultural cost-share research and planning tend to focus on one program at a time, and hence overlook additional efficiencies that might be obtained by considering the possibility that enrollment decisions are related across different programs. Models of multiple-program participation decisions enable these relationships to be considered as part of conditional enrollment predictions, providing more complete and accurate understanding of enrollment behavior. Analysis of data from farmer surveys in Maryland and Ohio show complementary drivers across program participation. Results are consistent with economies of scale and/or scope among different agri-environmental programs. The data also show the gains in prediction accuracy when the model accounts for participation in other programs, thereby enabling improved targeting and program design. For instance, enrollment in commodity-type programs causes a much larger marginal increase (12.6%) in the probability of Maryland cover crops participation than does the increase from Conservation Reserve Program enrollment (4.4%).Item The Joint Risks of Anticipated Sea Level Rise and Coastal Contaminated Sites: Economic and Scientific Evidence(Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware, Newark, DE., 2014-10) Duke, Joshua M.; Messer, Kent D.; Michael, Holly A.; Sparks, Donald L.Item Land Use Issues in Delaware Agriculture(Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware, Newark, DE., 2002-04) Duke, Joshua M.; Mackenzie, John; Ilvento, Thomas W.Can Delaware’s agriculture coexist (and prosper) in the face of competing land uses over the next twenty years? We believe that maintaining Delaware’s agriculture as a viable land-use alternative depends on the success in addressing three critical challenges. First, will residential, commercial, and industrial land uses be forced to bear the full costs that their land-use decisions visit on Delaware agriculture? Alternatively, will agriculture be fully compensated for its contribution to Delaware’s economy and quality of life? An associated, second challenge, is whether state, county, and local governments will institute incentive-based policies to achieve socially desirable land-use outcomes? It is particularly important that there exist policies to protect and to promote diverse land uses within all three counties. Finally, will spatial land-use patterns evolve, which ensure that agriculture maintains the critical masses necessary for the industry’s economic viability and which insulate producers from the complaints and threats of nonagricultural neighbors? This paper expands on these three challenges and then reviews data on trends in agricultural land use to draw conclusions.Item The Mediation of Variance Conflicts: An Empirical Evaluation(Department of Food and Resource Economics, 2000-09) Duke, Joshua M.; Jost, Ryan P.Since 1982, the New Castle County Superior Court in Delaware has promoted mediation, which attempts to resolve filed conflicts prior to trial. This paper evaluates how spatial land-use conflicts channel through mediation and litigation. Data suggest that mediations fail because one of the key disputing parties does not play a direct role in mediation and litigation. The data then inform a predictive model of litigated outcomes in which disputants share in the responsibility for conflict. By alleviating some of the uncertainty of litigation and proposing win-win, mediated outcomes, the model may be used facilitate future mediations.Item Preserving Farms and Forests in Sussex County, Delaware: Public Value(Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware, Newark, DE., 2007-07) Duke, Joshua M.; Johnston, Robert J.; Campson, Tammy WarnerThis report describes results of the 2005 Delaware Community Land Preservation Survey. This survey was a carefully designed choice experiment, which assessed the amount that Delaware residents would be willing to pay in increased taxes and associated fees to preserve farm or forest land in their local communities. Survey results quantify the value that Delaware residents have for different types of farm and forest preservation. Results indicate that the value of farm and forest preservation can be substantial, and can vary widely depending on the kind of land under consideration, the method used to prevent development, and the risk of future development on unpreserved parcels. This study considers preservation of various farm types in six Sussex County communities. When considering additional preservation in the range of 20 to 200 acres, the average community value per acre of preserving, for example, a poultry farm with the purchase of development rights is $27,707 in total capitalized value.i This value reflects the benefits that residents derive from the preservation of undeveloped land in their communities. Although these non-market public values are substantial, they represent an underestimate of total public value because they do not account for benefits accruing to residents in other communities, nor do they include the (otherwise easily measured) value of farm products. Non-market benefits of farmland preservation are composed mainly of residents’ non-market values for amenities such as recreational access, scenic vistas, and community character. These values are not captured in prices paid for farm and forest land in market transactions. As a result, market prices underestimate the true value of farm and forest to Delaware residents.Item Public Support for Land Preferences: Measuring Relative Preferences in Delaware(Department of Food and Resource Economics, 2002-02) Duke, Joshua M.; Ilvento, Thomas W.; Hyde, Rhonda A.Public preferences for nonmarket services of preserved land in Delaware are measured using two survey techniques. The results of a conjoint experiment, using a sample of 199 Delawareans, suggest that the environmental and agricultural attributes of preserved land are most important to the residents. The conjoint results also suggest that these services are of substantial value to Delawareans; at the margin, at least, agricultural and environmental preserved land provide net benefits to the public. The analytic hierarchy process is used to assess separate survey results from 129 Delawareans. The results provide specific weights on the relative importance of attributes and qualities of preserved land, which in large part replicate and reinforce the results of the conjoint experiment. Overall, Delawareans seem to be most concerned with keeping farming as a way of life, having access to locally grown agricultural commodities, protecting water quality, and preserving rural character.Item Reciprocal Educational Exchange Between The University of Delaware and Slovak Agricultural University(Department of Food and Resource Economics, 2005-05) Ilvento, Thomas W.; Duke, Joshua M.Item Reverse Auctions for Purchases of Ecosystem Services: The Effect of Information on Auction Structure Performance(Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware, Newark, DE., 2016-03) Duke, Joshua M.; Messer, Kent D.; Lynch, Lori; Li, TongzheDifferences between private and public decision-making are quantified using willingness-to-accept (WTA) data collected in artefactual field experiments. Participants first makedecisions in a second-price auction (private rounds) followed by majority-rule voting (public rounds) on the median price collected in the private rounds. Results suggest that other-regarding behavior in the public rounds regarding stigma and disgust can significantly reduce WTA. Chatbox communication can further reduce WTA, and social preferences, education, and unrelated communication are the primary drivers that lead participants to accept significantly lower prices for potentially disgusting tasks. The results have application for sustainable, cost-effective recycled water projects.Item A Spatial Analysis of the Distributional Effects of Water Quantity Management(Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware, Newark, DE., 2001-04) Ehemann, Robert, W.; Duke, Joshua M.; Mackenzie, JohnWater supply managers in growing areas must address increasing demand for an essentially fixed, though highly variable, resource. This worldwide problem inevitably arises as demand increases with population and standards of living (Loucks 1999, Mayor 1997). Currently, 505 million people live in water-scarce or water-stressed conditions, and this number could rise to 3.2 billion people by the year 2025 (Dunphy 2000). Water-stressed locations are not necessarily arid regions of the world. Nonporous materials in urban and suburban areas prevent rainwater from percolating through the soil. Excess water becomes runoff, which erodes riverbeds, prevents groundwater recharge, and exacerbates water supply issues. Spatially, suburban growth distributes the demand for water over a greater area. Water delivery requires increasingly more infrastructure, including holding tanks, reservoirs, treatment plants, and pumping stations. At the very least, suburban growth adds miles of new piping to the system and requires a tremendous amount of water to keep the lines full. This paper investigates the relationship between the spatial distribution of the residential population and residential water demand. Specifically, three water quantity management strategies are compared in times of deficit. Conservation is the root of demand-side management. However, conservation has many interpretations. Chesnutt and Beecher (1998) describe ecological, hydrological, traditional-economic, and resource-economic perspectives on conservation. The ecological perspective emphasizes ethical constraints to avoid the consequences of over consuming in a common property setting. The hydrological perspective focuses on the water cycle and engineering solutions to maintain water supply. Water allocation efficiency through pricing guides the traditional-economic perspective, while the resource-economic perspective merges a sustainability criterion with the traditional perspective. Any attempt to implement water management policy will undoubtedly satisfy those with one perspective and offend others. For instance, objections to the use of price arise from those who see it as insufficiently addressing ethical or supply concerns. This paper attempts to address such concerns by examining the distributional and supply impacts on residents when water scarcity pricing is implemented.Item A Summary of Research on Whether Consumers Will Pay More for Watermelons Grown on Preserved Farmland(Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware, Newark, DE., 2017-01-02) Duke, Joshua M.; Bernard, John M.; Albrecht, Sara; Vitz, GregoryItem Supplying Preservation: Landowner Behavior and the Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Program(Department of Food and Resource Economics, 2004) Duke, Joshua M.; Ilvento, Thomas W.This report presents the results of a survey of Delaware agricultural landowners about their characteristics, opinions, and behavior regarding participation in the Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Program, specifically the PACE and Ag Dist programs. The results demonstrate that participants tend to: • Own larger farms • Be more likely to raise corn, soybeans, and vegetables • Have more decision makers • Be much more likely to be full-time operators • Be more likely to value working outdoors • Be more likely to value ownership to pass land onto children. The results also show that word of mouth is the most common way Delaware landowners learn about the DALP program. Owners’ views about the DALP program were investigated. Key findings include: • Participants and nonparticipants identified preserving land for family as the most attractive aspect of the Ag Dist program • Both groups valued the Ag Dist program for its protection against agricultural nuisance suits and taxes • A majority of PACE participants found that program attractive to relieve pressure from debt, to provide retirement security, and to reinvest in their operations • A minority of Ag Dist participants and nonparticipants were interested in PACE to relieve pressure from debt. Participants had positive experiences with the DALP process. • Large majorities were satisfied with the DALP staff • Large majorities of PACE participants were satisfied with the DALP procedures and outcomes • A large majority of Ag Dist participants were satisfied with DALP procedures • A majority of Ag Dist participants were satisfied with the outcome • A large majority of participants would participate in Ag Dist if they had the chance to do it again • Most PACE participants are using PACE money for investments • Some PACE participants are using PACE money to pay debts.Item Tourist Preferences and Externalties of Views of Wind Turbines(Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware, Newark, DE., 2016-10-25) Fooks, Jacob; Messer, Kent D.; Duke, Joshua M.; Johnson, Janet B.; Li, Tongzhe; Parsons, George R.Previous research about the potential visual disamenity of wind turbines has used stated preference methods or hedonic studies of home prices. This study uses a field experiment of tourists on a ferry to evaluate the impact of wind turbines on tourism. Tourists are given an opportunity to purchase a chance for a weekend hotel stay that varied in quality and by its distance from and view of a large turbine. Results from a within-subject study of 65 tourists suggest that tourists prefer higher quality hotel rooms, being farther from the turbine (up to 1.5 miles), and views that do not include the turbine. Thus, the placement of on-shore turbines may have a larger negative economic impact that previously estimated.