Effects of social interactions and information bias on the willingness to pay for transboundary basin ecosystem services

Exploring the factors influencing public intention for spectator sports consumption based on grounded theory

Spectator sports consumption serves as a vital component in the development of the sports industry. However, numerous challenges exist in fostering public engagement in this domain. Therefore, in order to explore the factors that influence public participation in spectator sport consumption, this study analyzes the intention to participate in spectator sports consumption from the perspective of consumers. On this basis, Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of 25 members of the public, and three levels of coding were analyzed using the qualitative research method of procedural rooting theory and establish a model on the influence of public intention to participate in spectator sports consumption, and on this basis, we reveal the influence of crucial elements. The results of the study indicate that: Firstly, personal and psychological factors are significant internal drivers, while external drivers cover product and contextual factors. Secondly, the key to filling the attitudinal and behavioral gaps is the depth of perception individually, which is of great importance in increasing public participation. Thirdly, external contextual factors impacting consumer support primarily consist of external incentives, social influences, and urban contextual variables, which also serve a moderating role in the integration model. The results suggest that guiding the public to actively participate in spectator sport consumption should be based on an understanding of individual perceptions, emotions as well as attitudes. This paper develops a model examining public motivation to engage in spectator sports locally in China, pinpoints the primary influencing factors and mechanisms, and presents novel concepts for the sustainable growth of the sports sector.

Psychological distance and physical distance induced residents' heterogeneous willingness to pay for transboundary watershed ecosystem services in the Wei River Basin, China

Under the framework of payment for transboundary watershed ecosystem services (ESs), identifying midstream and downstream residents' preference and willingness to pay (WTP) for ESs provided by the upstream is crucial for sustainable watershed management. The residents' preferences and WTP are not evenly distributed within the watershed. This study uses a choice experiment assessing the spatial impact of physical distance (including residents' watershed location and distance to waterbody) and psychological distance on residents' preference and WTP for the Wei River Basin ESs. The results showed that midstream and downstream residents' preference and WTP for the ecological attributes have a significant distance-decay effect, either the physical distance to the upstream exit or physical and psychological distance to the waterbody. However, compared with the residents in the midstream, the residents downstream have a stronger preference and WTP for upstream ecological governance. Besides, the distance-decay effect differs between urban and rural residents. There is a psychological distance-decay effect in rural residents' preference for water quality and a physical distance-decay effect in their preference for water quantity, entertainment area, and cost; there is a physical distance decay effect in urban residents' preference for entertainment areas. The above differences lead to heterogeneity in WTP and total economic value (TEV) for ESs. When calculating the TEV of the transboundary watershed ES and charging the public, policymakers should consider the location of the residents, the physical and psychological distance to the water body, and the difference between urban and rural areas.

Synergetic development assessment of transboundary watershed ecological compensation

Ecological compensation (EC) is essential to promote the coordinated and sustainable development of the watershed. Firstly, the synergetic development index system of the watershed EC was proposed, which includes the economic benefits, water conservation, pollution treatment, and environmental supervision. Then, the order degree of subsystems was calculated. Finally, the synergetic development level of the watershed EC was evaluated. Taking the upstream (Ma'anshan) and the downstream (Nanjing) of the Chu River as the case study area, the results showed that: (1) From 2011 to 2020, the synergetic development level between Ma'anshan and Nanjing has showed an upward trend; (2) The synergetic development level of the watershed EC in the Chu River has reached basic synergy in 2020; (3) Ma'anshan concentrates on protecting the water ecological environment while Nanjing concentrates on economic growth and water pollution control will improve the synergy degree. This study can provide references for the optimization of watershed EC mechanism, and to promote watershed coordinated development.

The role of social network embeddedness and collective efficacy in encouraging farmers' participation in water environmental management

Water environmental management (WEM) has a significant influence on the global ecological balance. As an institutional innovation, the River Chief System (RCS) in China has achieved a positive short-term impact on addressing water environmental problems. However, its effects are limited in rural China. As a type of public good, the rural WEM demands the active participation not only of government but also of farmers. Based on the social cognitive and social network theory, this study empirically investigates how rural social networks promote farmers' participation in WEM. Using the survey of 860 farmers in the Yellow and Yangtze River Basin, we employ the double-hurdle model (D-H-M) to craft the primary assessment. The results show that the social network embeddedness facilitates farmers' participation in WEM directly. Collective efficacy plays a full mediation role in the relationship between social network embeddedness and farmers' participation. Moreover, the perceived role of village leaders affects the relationship between social networks and farmers' participation. Our research enriches the application of social network theory in the rural social context and offers an innovative approach to solving farmers' participation problems in WEM.

Individual participation and incentive coordination in watershed ecological compensation project: insights from China's Xin'an River Basin pilot

The success or failure of executing the watershed ecological compensation (WEC) policy is primarily contingent on incentive designs. How do different contractual designs influence the actions of micro-individuals in WEC? How may individuals be enticed to engage in WEC project? Taking the first inter-provincial WEC-Xin'an River Basin (XRB) pilot in China as a case, this study investigates the impacts of government-oriented, market-oriented, and incentive-cooperation contracts on individuals' behavior based on the framework of Stackelberg games. Subsequently, differences in efforts and profits of diverse individuals are compared and analyzed for each contract. The case-specific numerical example is then utilized to validate theoretical outcomes and to support subsequent key insights. First, the government-oriented contract exhibits effectiveness in bolstering the efforts and interests of micro-individuals, whereas it also places the government under tremendous financial strain. Second, the market-oriented contract formed by the output contribution rate assists in overcoming deficiencies of excurrent government-oriented contract. But it remains controversial if, in the absence of government inspection, investors that devote more cooperative-efforts are not rewarded with further dividends, ultimately diminishing their enthusiasm for the WEC-XRB project. Lastly, the incentive-cooperation contract reinforced by market dominance is advantageous for improving the efficacy of water resource management under the existing government-oriented policy relying on command-and-control instruments.

Financial compensation for natural forest logging ban: Standard calculation based on willingness to accept

To alleviate the deteriorating environment and protect biodiversity, China has implemented a natural forest protection system, demonstrating the importance of sustainable forest management for ecological conservation and socio-economic development, including the complete cessation of commercial logging of natural forests. Financial compensation is adopted to increase farmers' enthusiasm within the commercial Logging Ban of Natural Forests framework. This study used the contingent valuation method and the Heckman two-stage model to explore farmers' willingness to participate in the Logging Ban of Natural Forests and the willingness to accept by survey data on 486 farming households. 72% of farmers are willing to join the Logging Ban of Natural Forests. Their willingness to accept is 517.95 yuan/ha per year, higher than the current state subsidy standard (225 yuan/ha per year). The key factors influencing willingness to accept include the education and degree of fragmentation of woodland and village collective willingness to accept. The age of the rural household head, the fragmentation of the forest, and the evaluation of the Logging Ban of Natural Forests policies have inhibited the increase of farmers' compensation. Farmers' assessment of the Logging Ban of Natural Forests policy only impacts the medium level of compensation. The age and the degree of forest fragmentation would affect the higher compensation amount. The results from this study suggest more financial sources and increased compensation standards are needed. The government should also strengthen ecological awareness and adopt different compensation standards for other groups to achieve sustainable forestry.