Publication

The effect of response time on conjoint analysis estimates of rainforest protection values

Holmes, T., K. Alger, C. Zinkhan, and E. Mercer

This paper reports the first estimates of willingness to pay (WTP) for rain forest protection in the threatened Atlantic Coastal Forest ecosystem in northeastern Brazil. Conjoint analysis data were collected from Brazilian tourists for recreation bundles with complex prices. An ordered probit model with time-varying parameters and heteroskedastic errors was estimated. The main empirical results showed that: (1) utility parameters vary systematically with reponse time, (2) respondents use different anchors and scales in rating attribute differences, (3) mean WTP estimates for nature park attributes converge to stable values as response time increases, and (4) private forests provide public benefits to Brazilians.

Fiscal Year: fy98 ·  Problem Area: pa98-5 ·  Source: resunit   <== Explain

Citation: Holmes, T., K. Alger, C. Zinkhan, and E. Mercer. 1998. The effect of response time on conjoint analysis estimates of rainforest protection values. Journal of Forest Economics 4(1):7-28.

full-text article available in PDF (261K)

Want more? Send an email to tholmes@fs.fed.us . If you're requesting a reprint be sure your email includes the citation and your complete mailing address.

Forest Economics    and Policy

Publications ·  Search ·  Home

USDA Forest Service    Southern Research Station