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The Value of Biodiversity in Pharmaceutical Research with Differentiated Products

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  • Amy Craft
  • R. Simpson

Abstract

Biologists and conservation advocates have expressed grave concern over perceived threats to biological diversity. ``Biodiversity prospecting'' – the search among naturally occurring organisms for new products of agricultural, industrial, and, particularly, pharmaceutical value – has been advanced as both a mechanism and a motive for conserving biological diversity. Economists and others have attempted to estimate the value of biodiversity for use in new pharmaceutical project research. In this paper we apply a new approach to estimating values: we employ two models of competition among differentiated products. Each model confirms previous findings that the value to private researchers of the ``marginal species'' is likely to be small. The models can have very different implications with respect to social values, however. These findings underscore the need for a better understanding of the true meaning of diversity. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 2001

Suggested Citation

  • Amy Craft & R. Simpson, 2001. "The Value of Biodiversity in Pharmaceutical Research with Differentiated Products," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 18(1), pages 1-17, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:enreec:v:18:y:2001:i:1:p:1-17
    DOI: 10.1023/A:1011170024649
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Solow Andrew & Polasky Stephen & Broadus James, 1993. "On the Measurement of Biological Diversity," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 60-68, January.
    2. Gordon C. Rausser & Arthur A. Small, 2000. "Valuing Research Leads: Bioprospecting and the Conservation of Genetic Resources," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 108(1), pages 173-206, February.
    3. Dixit, Avinash K & Stiglitz, Joseph E, 1977. "Monopolistic Competition and Optimum Product Diversity," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 67(3), pages 297-308, June.
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    5. Rausser, G.C. & Small. A.A., 1998. "Bioprospecting with Patent Races," Papers 98-07, Columbia - Graduate School of Business.
    6. Simpson, R. David & Sedjo, Roger A., 1996. "Valuation of Biodiversity for Use in New Product Research in a Model of Sequential Search," Discussion Papers 10618, Resources for the Future.
    7. Brown, Gardner Jr. & Goldstein, Jon H., 1984. "A model for valuing endangered species," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 303-309, December.
    8. Simpson, R David & Sedjo, Roger A & Reid, John W, 1996. "Valuing Biodiversity for Use in Pharmaceutical Research," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 104(1), pages 163-185, February.
    9. Simpson, R. David & Craft, Amy, 1996. "The Social Value of Using Biodiversity in New Pharmaceutical Product Research," RFF Working Paper Series dp-96-33, Resources for the Future.
    10. Martin L. Weitzman, 1993. "What to Preserve? An Application of Diversity Theory to Crane Conservation," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 108(1), pages 157-183.
    11. Sedjo, Roger & Simpson, R. David, 1996. "Valuation of Biodiversity for Use in New Product Research in a Model of Sequential Search," RFF Working Paper Series dp-96-27, Resources for the Future.
    12. Economides, Nicholas, 1989. "Symmetric equilibrium existence and optimality in differentiated product markets," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 178-194, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. William A. Brock & Anastasios Xepapadeas, 2003. "Valuing Biodiversity from an Economic Perspective: A Unified Economic, Ecological, and Genetic Approach," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(5), pages 1597-1614, December.
    2. Groth, Christian & Ricci, Francesco, 2011. "Optimal growth when environmental quality is a research asset," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(4), pages 340-352, December.
    3. Amitrajeet A. Batabyal & Peter Nijkamp, 2013. "Biodiversity Prospecting over Time and under Uncertainty: A Theory of Sorts," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 13-163/VIII, Tinbergen Institute.
    4. Ramesh Govindaraj & Gnanaraj Chellaraj, 2002. "The Indian Pharmaceutical Sector : Issues and Options for Health Sector Reform," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 15231.
    5. Erwin, Patrick M. & López-Legentil, Susanna & Schuhmann, Peter W., 2010. "The pharmaceutical value of marine biodiversity for anti-cancer drug discovery," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(2), pages 445-451, December.
    6. Timo Goeschl & Timothy Swanson, 2002. "The Social Value of Biodiversity for R&D," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 22(4), pages 477-504, August.
    7. Kassar, Ilhem & Lasserre, Pierre, 2004. "Species preservation and biodiversity value: a real options approach," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 48(2), pages 857-879, September.

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