IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ags/jlaare/276499.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Do Regulations to Protect Endangered Species on Private Lands Affect Local Employment? Evidence from the Listing of the Lesser Prairie Chicken

Author

Listed:
  • Melstrom, Richard T.
  • Lee, Kangil
  • Byl, Jacob P.

Abstract

The U.S. Endangered Species Act is often criticized as “pitting people against wildlife" by conserving habitat at the cost of jobs, but relatively little is known about the labor market effects of listing a species under the Endangered Species Act. We examine changes in employment associated with the lesser prairie chicken, which was listed as threatened in May 2014. Using county-level employment data and variation in suitable prairie chicken habitat, we apply a difference-in-differences strategy to measure the employment effects of the listing decision. We find evidence that employment declined about 1.5% in affected counties. The effect is proportional to habitat, which means counties with relatively more habitat experienced a larger share of employment losses.

Suggested Citation

  • Melstrom, Richard T. & Lee, Kangil & Byl, Jacob P., 2018. "Do Regulations to Protect Endangered Species on Private Lands Affect Local Employment? Evidence from the Listing of the Lesser Prairie Chicken," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 43(3), September.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:jlaare:276499
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.276499
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/276499/files/JARE%2C43.3%2CSeptember2018%2C%233%2CMelstrom%2C346-363.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22004/ag.econ.276499?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Di Maria, Corrado & Lange, Ian & van der Werf, Edwin, 2014. "Should we be worried about the green paradox? Announcement effects of the Acid Rain Program," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 143-162.
    2. Kuminoff, Nicolai V. & Parmeter, Christopher F. & Pope, Jaren C., 2010. "Which hedonic models can we trust to recover the marginal willingness to pay for environmental amenities?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 60(3), pages 145-160, November.
    3. Robert Innes & Stephen Polasky & John Tschirhart, 1998. "Takings, Compensation and Endangered Species Protection on Private Lands," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 12(3), pages 35-52, Summer.
    4. Komarek, Timothy M., 2016. "Labor market dynamics and the unconventional natural gas boom: Evidence from the Marcellus region," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 1-17.
    5. Greenstone, Michael & Gayer, Ted, 2009. "Quasi-experimental and experimental approaches to environmental economics," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 57(1), pages 21-44, January.
    6. Guido W. Imbens & Jeffrey M. Wooldridge, 2009. "Recent Developments in the Econometrics of Program Evaluation," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 47(1), pages 5-86, March.
    7. Wooldridge, Jeffrey M., 1999. "Distribution-free estimation of some nonlinear panel data models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 90(1), pages 77-97, May.
    8. Christian Langpap, 2004. "Conservation Incentives Programs for Endangered Species: An Analysis of Landowner Participation," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 80(3), pages 375-388.
    9. Chabé-Ferret, Sylvain & Subervie, Julie, 2013. "How much green for the buck? Estimating additional and windfall effects of French agro-environmental schemes by DID-matching," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 12-27.
    10. Sunak, Yasin & Madlener, Reinhard, 2016. "The impact of wind farm visibility on property values: A spatial difference-in-differences analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 79-91.
    11. Rema Hanna, 2010. "US Environmental Regulation and FDI: Evidence from a Panel of US-Based Multinational Firms," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(3), pages 158-189, July.
    12. Gardner M. Brown & Jason F. Shogren, 1998. "Economics of the Endangered Species Act," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 12(3), pages 3-20, Summer.
    13. Martin D. Heintzelman, 2010. "Measuring the Property-Value Effects of Local Land Use and Preservation Referenda," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 86(1), pages 22-47.
    14. Raphael Calel & Antoine Dechezleprêtre, 2016. "Environmental Policy and Directed Technological Change: Evidence from the European Carbon Market," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 98(1), pages 173-191, March.
    15. Deborah Dawson & Jason F. Shogren, 2001. "An Update on Priorities and Expenditures under the Endangered Species Act," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 77(4), pages 527-532.
    16. Ferraro, Paul J. & Miranda, Juan José, 2014. "The performance of non-experimental designs in the evaluation of environmental programs: A design-replication study using a large-scale randomized experiment as a benchmark," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 107(PA), pages 344-365.
    17. Robert Innes, 2000. "The Economics of Takings and Compensation When Land and Its Public Use Value Are in Private Hands," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 76(2), pages 195-212.
    18. Langpap, Christian & Kerkvliet, Joe, 2012. "Endangered species conservation on private land: Assessing the effectiveness of habitat conservation plans," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 1-15.
    19. Cosgrove, Brendan M. & LaFave, Daniel R. & Dissanayake, Sahan T. M. & Donihue, Michael R., 2015. "The Economic Impact of Shale Gas Development: A Natural Experiment along the New York / Pennsylvania Border," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 44(2), pages 20-39, August.
    20. Gourieroux, Christian & Monfort, Alain & Trognon, Alain, 1984. "Pseudo Maximum Likelihood Methods: Applications to Poisson Models," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 52(3), pages 701-720, May.
    21. Melstrom, Richard T., 2017. "The petroleum industry's response to an endangered species listing," 2017 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 1, Chicago, Illinois 258281, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    22. Ann E. Ferris & Ronald J. Shadbegian & Ann Wolverton, 2014. "The Effect of Environmental Regulation on Power Sector Employment: Phase I of the Title IV SO2 Trading Program," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(4), pages 521-553.
    23. David H. Autor, 2003. "Outsourcing at Will: The Contribution of Unjust Dismissal Doctrine to the Growth of Employment Outsourcing," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 21(1), pages 1-42, January.
    24. Michael J. Roberts & Shawn Bucholtz, 2005. "Slippage in the Conservation Reserve Program or Spurious Correlation? A Comment," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 87(1), pages 244-250.
    25. Jeffrey E. Zabel & Robert W. Paterson, 2006. "The Effects of Critical Habitat Designation on Housing Supply: An Analysis of California Housing Construction Activity," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(1), pages 67-95, February.
    26. Eric J. Horsch & David J. Lewis, 2009. "The Effects of Aquatic Invasive Species on Property Values: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 85(3), pages 391-409.
    27. Manning, Willard G. & Mullahy, John, 2001. "Estimating log models: to transform or not to transform?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 461-494, July.
    28. John A. List & Daniel L. Millimet & Per G. Fredriksson & W. Warren McHone, 2003. "Effects of Environmental Regulations on Manufacturing Plant Births: Evidence from a Propensity Score Matching Estimator," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 85(4), pages 944-952, November.
    29. Andrew Metrick & Martin L. Weitzman, 1996. "Patterns of Behavior in Endangered Species Preservation," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 72(1), pages 1-16.
    30. Bošković, Branko & Nøstbakken, Linda, 2017. "The cost of endangered species protection: Evidence from auctions for natural resources," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 174-192.
    31. Carson Reeling & Leah H. Palm-Forster & Richard T. Melstrom, 2019. "Policy Instruments and Incentives for Coordinated Habitat Conservation," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 73(3), pages 791-813, July.
    32. Waters, Edward C. & Holland, David W. & Weber, Bruce A., 1994. "Interregional Effects Of Reduced Timber Harvests: The Impact Of The Northern Spotted Owl Listing In Rural And Urban Oregon," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 19(1), pages 1-20, July.
    33. Stephen L. Locke & Glenn C. Blomquist, 2016. "The Cost of Convenience: Estimating the Impact of Communication Antennas on Residential Property Values," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 92(1), pages 131-147.
    34. Shogren,Jason F. & Tschirhart,John (ed.), 2008. "Protecting Endangered Species in the United States," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521087490, September.
    35. Langpap, Christian & Wu, JunJie, 2004. "Voluntary conservation of endangered species: when does no regulatory assurance mean no conservation?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 47(3), pages 435-457, May.
    36. Ferraro, Paul J. & McIntosh, Craig & Ospina, Monica, 2007. "The effectiveness of the US endangered species act: An econometric analysis using matching methods," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 54(3), pages 245-261, November.
    37. Drechsler, Martin & Wätzold, Frank & Johst, Karin & Shogren, Jason F., 2010. "An agglomeration payment for cost-effective biodiversity conservation in spatially structured landscapes," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 261-275, April.
    38. Christian Langpap & Joe Kerkvliet & Jason F Shogren, 2018. "The Economics of the U.S. Endangered Species Act: A Review of Recent Developments," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 12(1), pages 69-91.
    39. Janet Currie & Lucas Davis & Michael Greenstone & Reed Walker, 2015. "Environmental Health Risks and Housing Values: Evidence from 1,600 Toxic Plant Openings and Closings," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(2), pages 678-709, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ferris, Ann E. & Frank, Eyal G., 2021. "Labor market impacts of land protection: The Northern Spotted Owl," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    2. Malone, Trey & Melstrom, Richard T., 2020. "Where’s the beef? Cattle producers’ response to endangered species listings," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    3. Richard T. Melstrom & David W. Shanafelt & Carson J. Reeling, 2022. "Coordinating investments in habitat management and economic development," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 67-91, April.
    4. Shang Xu & H. Allen Klaiber & Daniela A. Miteva, 2023. "Impacts of forest conservation on local agricultural labor supply: Evidence from the Indonesian forest moratorium," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 105(3), pages 940-965, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Melstrom, Richard T. & Lee, Kangil & Byl, Jacob P., 2016. "The effect of endangered species regulations on local employment: Evidence from the listing of the lesser prairie chicken," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 236254, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    2. Malone, Trey & Melstrom, Richard T., 2020. "Where’s the beef? Cattle producers’ response to endangered species listings," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    3. Christian Langpap & Joe Kerkvliet & Jason F Shogren, 2018. "The Economics of the U.S. Endangered Species Act: A Review of Recent Developments," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 12(1), pages 69-91.
    4. Melstrom, Richard T., 2017. "The petroleum industry's response to an endangered species listing," 2017 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 1, Chicago, Illinois 258281, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Melstrom, Richard T., 2017. "Where to drill? The petroleum industry's response to an endangered species listing," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 320-327.
    6. Sims, Charles & Aadland, David & Finnoff, David & Hochard, Jacob, 2020. "What are the benefits of delisting endangered species and who receives them?: Lessons from the gray wolf recovery in Greater Yellowstone," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    7. Bošković, Branko & Nøstbakken, Linda, 2017. "The cost of endangered species protection: Evidence from auctions for natural resources," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 174-192.
    8. Richard T. Melstrom, 2021. "The Effect of Land Use Restrictions Protecting Endangered Species on Agricultural Land Values," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 103(1), pages 162-184, January.
    9. Langpap, Christian & Kerkvliet, Joe, 2012. "Endangered species conservation on private land: Assessing the effectiveness of habitat conservation plans," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 1-15.
    10. Koch, Nicolas & Basse Mama, Houdou, 2019. "Does the EU Emissions Trading System induce investment leakage? Evidence from German multinational firms," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 479-492.
    11. Robert Innes & George Frisvold, 2009. "The Economics of Endangered Species," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 1(1), pages 485-512, September.
    12. Christian Langpap & Joe Kerkvliet, 2010. "Allocating Conservation Resources Under The Endangered Species Act," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 92(1), pages 110-124.
    13. Bhattacharjee, Arnab & Aravena, Claudia & Castillo, Natalia & Ehrlich, Marco & Taou, Nadia & Wagner, Thomas, 2022. "Agroforestry Programs in the Colombian Amazon: Selection, Treatment and Exposure Effects on Deforestation," National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) Discussion Papers 537, National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
    14. Richard T. Melstrom & David W. Shanafelt & Carson J. Reeling, 2022. "Coordinating investments in habitat management and economic development," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 67-91, April.
    15. Langpap, Christian & Kerkvliet, Joe, 2002. "Success Or Failure? Ordered Probit Approaches To Measuring The Effectiveness Of The Endangered Species Act," 2002 Annual meeting, July 28-31, Long Beach, CA 19713, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    16. Michael Brei & Agustín Pérez‐Barahona & Eric Strobl, 2020. "Protecting Species through Legislation: The Case of Sea Turtles," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 102(1), pages 300-328, January.
    17. Allen Bellas & Lea-Rachel Kosnik, 2024. "When Is the Ark Getting Here? The Impact of the Media on Threatened and Endangered Species’ Time to Listing and Long-Term Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-15, March.
    18. Byl, Jacob P., 2019. "Perverse Incentives and Safe Harbors in the Endangered Species Act: Evidence From Timber Harvests Near Woodpeckers," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 100-108.
    19. Tuttle, Carrie M. & Heintzelman, Martin D., 2013. "The Value of Forever Wild: An Economic Analysis of Land Use in the Adirondacks," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association, vol. 42(1), pages 1-20, April.
    20. aus dem Moore, Nils & Großkurth, Philipp & Themann, Michael, 2019. "Multinational corporations and the EU Emissions Trading System: The specter of asset erosion and creeping deindustrialization," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 1-26.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ags:jlaare:276499. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: AgEcon Search (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/waeaaea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.