Households' willingness to pay for the rehabilitation of wetlands: evidence from Gudera Wetland, Northwest Ethiopia

Gudera wetland is accredited as a home for innumerable goods and services that have economic value for individuals living around and outside them. However, due to the absence of rehabilitation intervention, the wetland is at the edge of collapse at this time. This paper aims to: (1) estimate households' mean willingness to pay (WTP) for the rehabilitation of the wetland, (2) investigate determinants that affect the probability and intensity of WTP, and (3) estimate aggregated welfare gains from the intervention. To address these objectives, data from 237 household heads were collected using a two-stage random sampling procedure. For the analysis, econometric models, such as bivariate probit and double hurdle, were employed to estimate the mean WTP and determinants of WTP, respectively. The result demonstrates that the mean WTP value from the double bounded dichotomous choice ranges from 70.44 to 80.64 Ethiopian Birr per year per household. Likewise, the aggregated welfare gain expected from the rehabilitation intervention ranges from 2,464,977 ($85,589) to 2,821,916 ($97,983) Ethiopian Birr per year. The double hurdle model result revealed that participation in natural resource conservation, frequency of extension contact and trust in budget allocation have a positive and significant effect on households' WTP. Whereas, factors, such as land size around the wetland, distance to the wetland and credit utilization have a negative influence on households’ WTP. These findings suggest that most of the sampled households are willing to contribute for the rehabilitation intervention and this could have implications for the success of future implementation.

The costs of celiac disease: a contingent valuation in Switzerland

This paper proposes a first monetary measure of the private costs of celiac disease, including intangible costs (physical symptoms, logistical constraints, etc.) in Switzerland. This auto-immune disease damages the intestine when patients ingest gluten. The only treatment currently available is a gluten-free diet, which implies great nutritional constraints. To get a monetary equivalent of the costs borne by celiac patients, we used a contingent valuation. The scenario suggested to celiac patients a treatment in form of a daily pill, which would allow them to eat normally and avoid any physical pain from celiac disease. Mean Willingness To Pay (WTP) for the treatment is found to be around CHF 87 (approx. USD 87) per month. WTP is positively influenced by direct and indirect costs of the disease. Oppositely, individuals, who find the gluten-free diet healthier are willing to pay less. Finally, unlike symptoms before diagnostic, the current presence or intensity of physical symptoms are found to be insignificant. The latter result can be explained by the fact that, individuals facing stronger symptoms are more likely to adhere strictly to the GFD and hence to reduce their frequency.

Personal attitudes and beliefs and willingness to pay to reduce marine plastic pollution in Indonesia

Marine plastic pollution (MPP) is one of the most pressing issues especially for fast-growing economies in the Global South where addressing it involves both government and personal actions to achieve effective waste management policies. Alternative modelling strategies accounting for personal traits and beliefs (latent attitudes) which are unobservable characteristics are frequently overlooked in policy assessment studies. This study combines contingent valuation and latent traits questions to derive the willingness of Indonesian respondents to support MPP mitigation initiatives. One and two-step models are compared to test the sensitivity of results to modelling assumptions. Latent traits help to understand the willingness to pay (WTP) for MPP and one and two-step approaches produce comparable results. On average respondents are willing to pay £15, per person, per year to reduce MPP, or 2% of the average monthly salary. Local and international organizations should consider motivations and latent traits when designing MPP mitigation strategies.

Households' willingness to pay and preferences for improved cook stoves in Ethiopia

This paper examines households' preferences, willingness to pay, and determinants of adopting improved cook stoves in rural Ethiopia. The study uses primary household data selected randomly from three districts in Ethiopia's Oromia region. The data was collected using a mix of contingent and choice experiment methods of valuation. The former used a double-bounded value elicitation method, while the latter used a fractional factorial design to efficiently generate an attribute and level combination for the improved cook stoves. The study also used various discrete choice models for data analysis and also used models which account for scale and preference heterogeneity. The findings show that the sample households were aware of the effects of using traditional cook stoves and the benefits of using improved cook stoves. However, they were constrained by the availability of the new technology and discouraged by the low-quality of the products that they had used so far. The estimated mean willingness to pay ranged from about 150 Birr to 350 Birr which is lower than the market price of the improved cook stoves. Emission reduction, reducing fire risks, and the durability of the cook stove positively affected its adoption, while price discouraged its use. Higher levels of education, higher incomes, non-farm employment, and having more livestock increased the probability of adopting the new gas stoves. The study recommends that policymakers and product designers should use the mean willingness to pay and marginal rate of substitution for the different attributes as a benchmark for product design and pricing that fit households' preferences and ability to pay. The lower mean willingness to pay means that a public subsidizing policy is needed for effectively disseminating improved cook stoves in rural Ethiopia.

A preference for quality: Australian general public's willingness to pay for home and residential aged care

In Australia and many other countries internationally, aged care services are provided to older people in their own homes or residential care facilities. The majority of these services are funded by the federal government using taxpayer contributions from the general public. However, the monetary value Australians place on aged care services, and the factors that predict this value, have not been examined. We, therefore, sought to determine the general public's willingness to pay (WTP) for aged care services and examine which factors influence this WTP. A cross-sectional contingent valuation survey was administered to a nationally representative cohort of 10,285 Australians between September and October 2020 from the general population aged 18 years and over. Respondents were asked to indicate their WTP values for satisfactory and high-quality aged care services to be provided in the future. A two-part regression model was used to explain what factors explained variation in WTP. In total, 80% (61%) of respondents were willing to pay to access satisfactory (high) quality home care (counterpart figures for residential care were 64% (45%)). On average, respondents were willing to pay between $126 and $158 ($145 and $237) per week to receive satisfactory-quality (high-quality) home care and between $333 and $520 ($308 and $680) per week for satisfactory-quality (high-quality) residential care. Respondents were willing to pay an additional $120 per week on average to access high-quality aged care. Higher WTP values were generally associated with being younger, male, recent experience with aged care through a close family member accessing aged care and ability to pay. These results suggest general public support for payment of individual co-contributions to access aged care services in the future.

Solution-oriented research for paediatric burn prevention in Mongolia: An assessment of prevention tools

•

We assessed a newly developed tool for child burn prevention in Mongolia.

•

Mixed research methods were used for the assessment.

•

Families with children reported that the tool reduces child burn risks.

•

The tool was well accepted, hence context-appropriate.

Child burn injuries in Mongolia are often caused by electric cooking appliances used on the floor or low table in traditional tent-like dwellings (called a ger) which have no separate kitchen. To prevent these injuries, we developed a context-specific kitchen rack to make electric appliances inaccessible to children, and the rack was provided to 50 families with children aged 0–3 years living in gers for a pilot test. In the present study, we investigated their opinions about the rack after they used it for about 10 months through semi-structured interviews, their willingness-to-pay (WTP) for the rack using a contingent valuation method, and their preference for potential modifications of the rack using best–worst scaling. The estimated median WTP was about USD 40 (which was higher than USD 37 at the baseline when they started to use the rack). The highest priority of modifications of the rack was to enclose the lower section of the rack with doors (which was originally open without doors to reduce the production cost). A few families did not use the rack in winter because they used heating stoves instead of electric appliances for cooking, but we found a unanimous view that the rack reduces burn injuries to children, which may be reflected in their increased WTP for the rack. These findings would guide us to make our burn prevention efforts more relevant to real-life situations and socially acceptable in Mongolia.

Comparing the monetary value of a quality-adjusted life year from the payment card and the open-ended format

BACKGROUND

The payment card (PC) format and the open-ended (OE) format are common methods in eliciting willingness-to-pay (WTP) of one additional quality-adjusted life year (QALY). The aim of this research is to compare these two formats in eliciting the monetary value of a QALY.

METHODS

A contingent valuation survey was carried out using a pre-designed questionnaire with various hypothetical scenarios. The difference between the PC and the OE formats was evaluated by a two-sample equality test. Furthermore, generalized linear models were carried out to control observed heterogeneity and to test theoretical validity.

RESULTS

In total, 461 individuals were involved, among whom 235 (51%) answered the PC question, while 226 (49%) answered the OE question. Excluding zero response, the mean WTP values of these two formats for different scenarios varied dramatically, which was from 13,278 to 280,177 RMB for the PC, 18,119 to 620,913 RMB for the OE. The OE format tended to elicit lower values for less serious condition and higher values for more serious condition. However, equality test of mean and median demonstrated insignificant difference of these two formats for all scenarios. For both OE and PC format, most variables were found to have significant effect on the value of WTP/QALY. Moreover, joint estimation indicated a statistically significant positive effect on the OE results. Further analysis demonstrated that the imbalanced zero response distribution caused the main difference of these two formats.

CONCLUSIONS

This research indicated insignificantly different WTP/QALY estimates of the PC format and OE format with the grouped data whereas significantly higher estimates of the OE format from the pooled data. These two formats were found to be valid. More research about the difference and the validity of various WTP eliciting methods would be recommended for a robust estimation of WTP/QALY.

Environmental conservation value of an endangered species: the case of Cypripedium Japonicum

The South Korean government is seeking information on the environmental conservation value (ECV) of Cypripedium japonicum, a plant on the first-level priority endangered species list of the Korea Ministry of Environment, as well as on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This research paper aims to assess the ECV by employing contingent valuation (CV) to elicit people's willingness to pay (WTP) for its conservation. To achieve this aim, in May 2020, a CV survey of 1,000 interviewees in South Korea was carried out employing a closed-ended question. The average household WTP is estimated to be KRW 3,770 (USD 3.07) per annum and secures statistical significance. From a national point of view, using information on the national population, this value comes to KRW 76.72 billion (USD 62.42 million) per year. Although the cost of conserving the species has not yet been accurately estimated, the ECV seems to be larger than the cost of conservation. Thus, it is socially desirable to conserve Cypripedium japonicum, and the conservation should be carried out in a stable and continuous manner.

Risk aversion, trust in institutions and contingent valuation of healthcare services: trying to explain the WTA-WTP gap in the Dutch population

Background

The preferences of citizens are a basic element to incorporate into the decision-making process when planning health policies. Contingent valuation (CV) is a common method for calculating the value for citizens that new technologies, interventions, and the provision of services or policies have. However, choosing the correct CV tool may not be a neutral decision. This work aims to assess the substitution of a healthcare service by comparing valuation differences between the willingness to pay (WTP) for the maintenance of the service versus the willingness to accept compensation (WTA) for its substitution, both of which are related to subject characteristics, with a particular focus on trust in institutions and risk aversion.

Methods

A CV study was designed to study Dutch population preferences when physician assistants replace anaesthesiologists. Differences between the distributions of WTA and WTP were compared through full decomposition methods, and conditional quantile regression was performed.

Results

Nearly two-thirds of surveyed citizens expressed null values for WTA and WTP. The other third systematically reported a value of WTA higher than that of WTP, which increased further with lower income and the possible presence of a strategic bias. In contrast, being more than 65 years old, having trust in government, and preferring anaesthesiologists decreased the WTA-WTP difference. Risk aversion had no clear association with the WTA-WTP gap.

Conclusions

Known differences between the perceived value of health services from the perspective of gains and losses could be related to people’s characteristics. Trust in government but not aversion to risk was related to the WTA-WTP differences. Identifying a profile of citizens who are averse to losing health services should be considered when designing and implementing health services or interventions or making disinvestment decisions.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12962-021-00281-9.

Willingness to join and pay for community-based health insurance and associated determinants among urban households of Cameroon: case of Douala and Yaounde

Background

The risks associated with direct health spending are high in Cameroon, where almost all household income is spent on health care. Moreover, there is no real social security in Cameroon because of the lack of a universal social protection system.

Objectives

This study aimed to assess the willingness of Cameroonian urban dwellers to subscribe and the amount to pay for voluntary (VCHI) or compulsory community-based health insurance (CCHI).

Methods

A cross-sectional study based on a three-stage stratified cluster random sampling design using a bidding game style based on the contingent valuation approach was performed to in the two largest urban areas of Cameroon (Douala and Yaoundé) evaluate the willingness to pay for the VCHI and CCHI.

Results

The results shown that 46% of respondent were willing to join the CCHI and 41% for VCHI. Furthermore, household income, working sector, chronic disease, health priority, and family size were factors mostly associated (p < 0.001) with the willingness to join CCHI or VCHI. Increase in household income has a positive effect on household's desire for both CCHI and VCHI. While for VCHI, increase of children number resulted in an increment of the premium, contrary to the occurrence of chronic ailment which led in the decrease of the bid.

Conclusions

From the results, it is clear that city dwellers in Cameroon are ready to join and pay for community health insurance. This willingness was related to their financial power which resulted in an average insurance premium of 9.03 USD and 8.17 USD, respectively for CCHI and VCHI. That bid was found to be enough for an implementation of these types of health insurance in Cameroon.

Does improved risk information increase the value of cholera prevention? An analysis of stated vaccine demand in slum areas of urban Bangladesh

As the world's longest running pandemic, cholera poses a substantial public health burden in Bangladesh, where human vulnerability intersects with climatic variability. Barriers to safe water and sanitation place the health of millions of Bangladeshis in jeopardy - especially those who have highly constrained choices in preventing and responding to cholera. In this paper we investigate demand for cholera prevention among residents in the Mirpur and Karail slum areas of urban Dhaka. Using survey data from 2023 households in two slum areas, we analyze responses from a contingent valuation questionnaire that elicited willingness to pay (WTP) for cholera vaccines across household members and under varying disease risk scenarios, finding higher valuation for cholera prevention for children and under scenarios of greater epidemic risk. We estimate the average WTP for a cholera vaccine for a child ranges from TK 134-167 (US$ 1.58-1.96). Consistently, respondents with prior knowledge of the cholera vaccine reported lower WTP valuations, providing suggestive evidence of concerns about vaccine effectiveness and preferences for cholera treatment over prevention. We supplement the contingent valuation analysis with cost of illness estimates from both our household sample as well as from administrative hospital records of over 34,000 cholera patients. We estimate that a household incurs costs of TK 801-922 (US$ 9.43-10.50) per episode of cholera that requires medical treatment. Taken together, these findings indicate higher WTP for cholera treatment compared to prevention, but increased interest in prevention under early warning system scenarios of high disease risk.

Willingness to pay for private health insurance among workers with mandatory social health insurance in Mongolia

Background

High out-of-pocket health expenditure is a common problem in developing countries. The employed population, rather than the general population, can be considered the main contributor to healthcare financing in many developing countries. We investigated the feasibility of a parallel private health insurance package for the working population in Ulaanbaatar as a means toward universal health coverage in Mongolia.

Methods

This cross-sectional study used a purposive sampling method to collect primary data from workers in public and primary sectors in Ulaanbaatar. Willingness to pay (WTP) was evaluated using a contingent valuation method and a double-bounded dichotomous choice elicitation questionnaire. A final sample of 1657 workers was analyzed. Perceptions of current social health insurance were evaluated. To analyze WTP, we performed a 2-part model and computed the full marginal effects using both intensive and extensive margins. Disparities in WTP stratified by industry and gender were analyzed.

Results

Only < 40% of the participants were satisfied with the current mandatory social health insurance in Mongolia. Low quality of service was a major source of dissatisfaction. The predicted WTP for the parallel private health insurance for men and women was Mongolian Tugrik (₮)16,369 (p < 0.001) and ₮16,661 (p < 0.001), respectively, accounting for approximately 2.4% of the median or 1.7% of the average salary in the country. The highest predicted WTP was found for workers from the education industry (₮22,675, SE = 3346). Income and past or current medical expenditures were significantly associated with WTP.

Conclusion

To reduce out-of-pocket health expenditure among the working population in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, supplementary parallel health insurance is feasible given the predicted WTP. However, given high variations among different industries and sectors, different incentives may be required for participation.

Evaluating rural participation in wetland management: A contingent valuation analysis of the set-aside policy in Iran

Growing conditions of water scarcity and population growth necessitate measures for improved water availability to meet agricultural, industrial, and domestic and consumer water demands; generating new environmental pressures on wetlands and other aquatic ecosystems. In Iran, the "set-aside program" incentivizes farmer participation in wetland conservation through mandated land management practices, making them key stakeholders in environmental conservation action. This study explores attitudes to participation in the set-aside wetland conservation program to revive the Jazmurian wetland in Iran, using a random sample of 226 farmer-stakeholder respondents. Farmers were surveyed to investigate economic and social participation using a willingness to accept (WTA) and willingness to pay (in money per ha) (WTP) model. Results show strong (45%) respondent opposition to wetland conservation participation. On the basis of their WTA, the amount of compensation offered by the villagers was significantly affected by "the cultivated area", "gender", "education", "family size", "residency", "income", "moralism", and "Inverse Mills Ratio index" factors. Also, "the cultivated area", "age", "education", "marital status", "family size", and "income" were found to be significantly affecting their WTP. We argue firstly, that policies to improve wetland conservation must join together infrastructure and agricultural development planning - such that dam projects, agricultural and water conservation planning are better integrated across wetland catchments. Secondly, that wetland conservation participation will be improved through land consolidation agreements for small-holders, and through incomes stabilization, capacity building, social learning and awareness-raising initiatives for farmers towards sustainable agricultural practices.

Indian dairy farmers' willingness to pay for sexed semen

Sexed semen is one of the newest reproductive technologies available for dairy farmers and can fulfil their desire to produce a high percentage of female calves. The present study was designed to define the willingness of Indian dairy farmers to pay for sexed semen. Hence, 120 small holder dairy farmers and 90 commercial dairy farmers were randomly selected from Karnal and Yamunanagar districts in North-western Haryana, where there is a high proportion of crossbred dairy cattle. Willingness to pay for sexed semen was evaluated by a contingent valuation method and its determinants by an interval regression model. The majority of the small holder dairy farmers (81.67%) were willing to pay for sexed semen and they were ready to pay around INR 340 per sexed semen straw. Almost all (99%) of the commercial dairy farmers were willing to pay around INR 770 per sexed semen straw, i.e. more than double the value identified by small holder dairy farmers. Among all the predictors fitted in the interval regression model to explain the willingness to pay for sexed semen by the commercial dairy farmers, namely education level, herd size and attitude towards public extension systems, were positive and significant contributors. Our findings may help to identify what subsidy is required to promote sexed semen among dairy farmers, and as a consequence further improve breeding policies by introducing this new livestock production technology with the active participation of the dairy farmers.

The value of COVID-19 tests in Latin America

Testing is a crucial strategy to control the spread of a pandemic. Voluntary participation in this strategy will depend on individual preferences towards and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for test results. We distributed a web-based, contingent valuation survey to social-media users in 16 Latin American countries to evaluate regional attitudes towards the emerging COVID-19 outbreak and WTP for COVID-19 testing. We observe that the cost of the test and household income are important determinants of testing intentions. We find higher WTP among those reporting greater concern relative to the average respondent. Accounting for uncertainty, our results indicate a WTP of approximately $45 dollars or 4.2 % of monthly income among respondents. These results, paired with our predicted participation rate of between 84-94 % for a $1 test, suggest that local officials will be able to effectively recruit participation in this mitigation strategy given the appropriate subsidization structure.

A contingent valuation approach to estimating the recreational value of commercial whale watching - the case study of Faxaflói Bay, Iceland

There is currently limited knowledge concerning the economic value of commercial whale watching from the perspective of the consumer's trip experience. This study outlines the results of an in-person contingent valuation survey, which asked whale watching tourists in Faxaflói Bay, Iceland, how much they would have been willing to pay beyond the paid ticket price. Based on a sample of 163 tourists, only 30 (18.40%) reported any consumer surplus, despite the majority stating positive satisfaction with the experience. Mean consumer surplus was 768 ISK (approximately 5.60 euros). Scaled up to the number of whale watching tourists in Faxaflói Bay in 2018 of 148,442, aggregate CS was approximately 114.0 million ISK (0.83 million euros), a 6.9% mark-up on estimated annual revenue generation derived from average ticket prices. The study provides new information on the economic value of whale watching in an area which had already been part-designated as a whale sanctuary.

What do we know about public acceptance of designating marine protected area? The case of Jaran Bay in South Korea

The South Korean Government is considering designating Jaran Bay, the habitat of the endangered marine species, Neophocaena asiaeorientalis, as a marine protected area. The Government needs information about public acceptance and the economic benefits of the designation. To unveil the information, this article aims to examine the public willingness to pay (WTP) using a contingent valuation based on a nationwide survey of 1000 households. As a WTP elicitation method, the one-and-one-half-bounded question format of asking an interviewee whether she/he has the intention of paying a presented bid through annual income tax was adopted. The WTP for the designation was statistically significantly estimated to be KRW 2665 (USD 2.27) per year per household. The estimate of the annual national value amounted to KRW 53 billion (USD 45.30 million). This value is by no means small, but it would take a huge amount of effort to elicit public consensus on the designation considering that a significant proportion of respondents (64.4%) revealed zero WTP.

Willingness-to-pay and willingness-to-accept of informal caregivers of dependent elderly people in Shanghai, China

BACKGROUND

In order to make optimal long-term care-related decisions, it is important to take a societal perspective. Shanghai is one of the pilot cities of social long-term care insurance in China. However, little knowledge exists about the economic value of the informal care provided to dependent elderly people in China. This paper aims to evaluate the economic value of informal caregiving in Shanghai using the contingent valuation method by their least-preferred care tasks, and identify the associated factors of willingness-to-pay (WTP) and willingness-to-accept (WTA) of the informal caregivers.

METHODS

This study employed the contingent valuation method to elicit 371 informal caregivers' WTP and WTA for 1 hour of reduction or increase of least-preferred caring tasks in Shanghai. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to explore the associated factors with the WTP and WTA values.

RESULTS

The average WTP and WTA were 25.31 CNY and 38.66 CNY, respectively. The associated factors with WTP include caregiver's income and caregiver's relationship to the recipient. Care recipient's age, income, least-preferred task by the caregiver, and subscales of Caregiver Reaction Assessment were found to be associated with WTA. The non-responsiveness rates were 26.1 and 33.2% for WTP and WTA questions, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of the current study demonstrated that decision-makers and researchers should take the economic valuation results of informal care into account to make more informed and effective long-term care-related policies and analyses.

Willingness to pay for an early warning system for infectious diseases

Early warning systems for infectious diseases and foodborne outbreaks are designed with the aim of increasing the health safety of citizens. As a first step to determine whether investing in such a system offers value for money, this study used contingent valuation to estimate people's willingness to pay for such an early warning system in six European countries. The contingent valuation experiment was conducted through online questionnaires administered in February to March 2018 to cross-sectional, representative samples in the UK, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and The Netherlands, yielding a total sample size of 3140. Mean willingness to pay for an early warning system was €21.80 (median €10.00) per household per month. Pooled regression results indicate that willingness to pay increased with household income and risk aversion, while they decreased with age. Overall, our results indicate that approximately 80-90% of people would be willing to pay for an increase in health safety in the form of an early warning system for infectious diseases and food-borne outbreaks. However, our results have to be interpreted in light of the usual drawbacks of willingness to pay experiments.

Contingent assessment of the COVID-19 vaccine

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only had a negative impact on people's health and life behavior, but also on economies around the world. At the same time, laboratories and institutions are working hard to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine, which we hope will be available soon. However, there has been no assessment of whether an individual and society value ​​a vaccine monetarily, and what factors determine this value. Therefore, the objective of this research was to estimate the individual's willingness to pay (WTP) for a hypothetical COVID-19 vaccine and, at the same time, find the main factors that determine this valuation. For this, we used the contingent valuation approach, in its single and double-bounded dichotomous choice format, which was based on a hypothetical market for a vaccine. The sample used was obtained through an online survey of n = 566 individuals from Chile. The main results showed that the WTP depends on the preexistence of chronic disease (p≤0.05), knowledge of COVID-19 (p≤0.05), being sick with COVID-19 (p≤0.05), perception of government performance (p≤0.01), employment status (p≤0.01), income (p≤0.01), health care (p≤0.05), adaptation to quarantine with children at home (p≤0.01) and whether the person has recovered from COVID-19 (p≤0.10). According to our discrete choice model in double-bounded dichotomous format, it was concluded that the individuals' WTP is US$184.72 (CI: 165.52-203.92; p < 0.01). This implies a social valuation of approximately US$2232 million, corresponding to 1.09% of the GNP per capita.

Mothers' willingness to accept and pay for vaccines to their children in western Iran: a contingent valuation study

Background

The clients’ willingness to accept (WTA) and willingness to pay (WTP) for a given good or service can help elicit the monetary value of that good or service. This study aims to assess the WTA and WTP of mothers attending primary health centers for vaccines to their children during 2019 in Kermanshah city, western Iran.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study on a total of 667 mothers attending primary health centers for vaccines to their children aged two to 18 months. A multistage sampling technique was employed to involve the mothers in the study, and data were collected using a self-administrated open-ended questionnaire. The multivariate linear regression model was used to identify the factors associated with the mothers’ WTP and WTA for vaccines to their children.

Results

The study indicated that 94.2 and 93.1% of the mothers respectively had WTA and WTP values greater than zero, with their corresponding mean values of US$ 6.8 and US$ 4.4. The mothers in the higher monthly household income category, mothers born in the urban areas, and being a female child showed statistically significant positive associations with the mothers’ WTA for the vaccines. While there was a statistically significant positive relationship between monthly household income and the mothers’ WTP; a statistically significant negative relationship exists between the mothers’ age and their WTP for the vaccine to their children.

Conclusions

The findings indicated the mothers’ WTA to WTP ratio of greater than one for the vaccines to their children. The most important factor associated with the mothers’ WTA and WTP was the monthly household income. Thus, improving the socio-economic standards of women in the study area might contribute to reinforcing their immunization services seeking behavior to their children.

Valuing the Cancer Mortality Risk Reduction from Lowering the Arsenic Maximum Contaminant Level in New Hampshire Municipal Water Supplies

This study uses a 2018 stated preference survey to elicit a willingness to pay (WTP) to reduce the cancer morbidity and mortality risk from arsenic exposure through drinking water. Respondents who use a public water supply are willing to pay $35.43 per month for the risk reduction associated with lowering the maximum allowable level of arsenic in drinking water from 10 to a hypothetical level of 3 ppb; households on private wells are willing to pay $29.19. Respondents from households with children were willing to pay significantly more than respondents from households without children. We derive values of a statistical life (VSL) of $4.61 million and $3.48 million per household member, respectively, in households using municipal or well water. Shortly after the initial release of these findings, New Hampshire became the second state to set a maximum allowable level for arsenic below the national limit of 10 ppb.

Participation in agri-environmental schemes: A contingent valuation study of farmers in Ireland

Agri-environment schemes (AES) are an important part of agricultural policy within Europe. They seek to achieve important goals with regards to biodiversity and the protection of natural resources while also helping to maintain culturally important landscapes and agricultural practices. Participation rates have been an important area of research into assessing the success of AES. Within Ireland and more broadly across Europe, systematic non-participation in AES has been observed. Certain farm and farmer types have been found more likely to participate. In this paper a contingent valuation exercise is conducted that assesses how AES payment levels impact on the participation decision of farmers. A bivariate probit with sample selection is utilised to account for farmers who are unwilling to participate regardless of payment levels. This allows for a more accurate estimation of farmer willingness-to-accept to participate in the hypothetical AES presented. It also offers insight into the characteristics of farmers who are unlikely to ever participate in these schemes. From the results it appears a significant proportion (30%) of farmers are unlikely to ever participate in AES, with the remaining open to participation depending on the compensation offered. It is argued that increased compensation levels may increase participation rates among some farmers who to date have been unlikely to participate.

Pollution exposure and willingness to pay for clean air in urban China

Rapid industrialization and urbanization are often accompanied by deteriorating air quality that imposes substantial health and productivity costs on the local population. However, existing studies have generally found low marginal willingness to pay (WTP) for mitigating such damages. To understand the determinants and the extent of WTP for air quality improvements, we collected comprehensive socio-demographic and stated preference information from more than 3000 random respondents in three cities in China. Combining the survey data with air quality data from ground-level monitoring stations, we find that exposure to persistent air pollution is a significant determinant of the extent individuals are willing to pay for cleaner air. On average, urban residents are willing to pay 65 CNY (~10 USD) each year to improve air quality to World Health Organization standards. Males and individuals that are younger and more educated tend to have higher WTP. We also find that individuals with more knowledge of sustainability and who engage in more pro-environmental behaviors are willing to pay more. Compared to existing government monetary incentives to reduce air pollution, the public's total WTP for cleaner air is much higher. Overall, these results highlight the potential welfare gain for policymakers to implement more stringent air quality regulations to reduce pollution.

Smallholder farmers' willingness to pay for scale-appropriate farm mechanization: Evidence from the mid-hills of Nepal

This paper analyzes smallholder farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) for the purchase of scale-appropriate farm mechanization in the hill ecologies of Nepal using the case of mini-tiller technology: a small, 5-7 horsepower two-wheel tractor primarily used for agricultural land preparation. Using primary survey data from 628 randomly-selected households, we find that farm size, local wage rates, out-migration, access to credit services, and associations with agricultural cooperatives positively influence the WTP for mini-tillers while the number of draft animals owned negatively influence the WTP for mini-tillers. On average, farmers were willing to pay 31% less than the actual price of a mini-tiller. Results also exhibited a heterogeneous demand in which the lowest quartile farm size households, typically the poorest farm households, were willing to pay 26% less for the mini-tiller than the top quartile of farms. In the context of labor scarcity and rising rural wages, agricultural policy on farm mechanization in Nepal should aim to prioritize small farms through robust service provision models in order to increase the level of farm mechanization in the country.