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Valuing nuclear energy risk: Evidence from the impact of the Fukushima crisis on U.S. house prices

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  • Tanaka, Shinsuke
  • Zabel, Jeffrey

Abstract

Behavioral economics suggests that individuals overweight recent unexpected and/or rare events when updating beliefs. This study investigates the effect of such an event, the Fukushima nuclear crisis in 2011, on the learning process of a local environmental risk by evaluating how perceptions of the risk of a nuclear accident are capitalized into house prices near nuclear power plants (NPPs) in the U.S. Our results provide new evidence on the dynamics of the effect – spatially, the impact was concentrated in a 4-km radius around NPPs, and temporally, it peaked a half year later and dissipated one year after the crisis.

Suggested Citation

  • Tanaka, Shinsuke & Zabel, Jeffrey, 2018. "Valuing nuclear energy risk: Evidence from the impact of the Fukushima crisis on U.S. house prices," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 411-426.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeeman:v:88:y:2018:i:c:p:411-426
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2017.12.005
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    5. Ahlfeldt, Gabriel M. & Nitsch, Volker & Wendland, Nicolai, 2019. "Ease versus noise: long-run changes in the value of transport (dis)amenities," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 102824, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
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    7. Neidell, Matthew & Uchida, Shinsuke & Veronesi, Marcella, 2019. "Be Cautious with the Precautionary Principle: Evidence from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident," IZA Discussion Papers 12687, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Learning; Information processing; Nuclear energy risk; Hedonic price; Model; Fukushima;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • R31 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location - - - Housing Supply and Markets
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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