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Part-Whole Bias in Contingent Valuation: Will Scope Effects Be Detected with Inexpensive Survey Methods?

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  • John C. Whitehead
  • Timothy Haab
  • Ju-Chin Huang

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to test for scope effects with the contingent valuation method. We use data from a telephone survey focusing on water quality improvements in the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds in North Carolina. We find that the willingness to pay estimates are sensitive to the scope of the policy. These results suggest that the use of inexpensive survey methods may not be the cause of the failure to detect scope effects in some recent contingent valuation studies.
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  • John C. Whitehead & Timothy Haab & Ju-Chin Huang, "undated". "Part-Whole Bias in Contingent Valuation: Will Scope Effects Be Detected with Inexpensive Survey Methods?," Working Papers 9707, East Carolina University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:wop:eacaec:9707
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. John C. Whitehead & Peter A. Groothuis & Rob Southwick, 2007. "Linking Recreation Demand and Willingness to Pay with the Inclusive Value: Valuation of Saginaw Bay Coastal Marsh," Working Papers 07-09, Department of Economics, Appalachian State University.
    2. Ana Faria Lopes & Gorm Kipperberg, 2020. "Diagnosing Insensitivity to Scope in Contingent Valuation," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 77(1), pages 191-216, September.
    3. John C. Whitehead, 2006. "Improving Willingness to Pay Estimates for Quality Improvements through Joint Estimation with Quality Perceptions," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 73(1), pages 100-111, July.
    4. John Whitehead & Suzanne Finney, 2003. "Willingness to Pay for Submerged Maritime Cultural Resources," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 27(3), pages 231-240, November.
    5. Lopez-Becerra, E.I. & Alcon, F., 2021. "Social desirability bias in the environmental economic valuation: An inferred valuation approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    6. John C. Whitehead & Peter A. Groothuis & Rob Southwick & Pat Foster-Turley, 2006. "Economic Values of Saginaw Bay Coastal Marshes," Working Papers 06-10, Department of Economics, Appalachian State University.
    7. Patrizia Riganti, 2022. "Embedding Effects in Contingent Valuation Applications to Cultural Capital: Does the Nature of the Goods Matter?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-17, May.
    8. Barreiro Hurlé, J. & Pérez Y Pérez, L, 2001. "Coste vs. Eficiencia: utilización de entrevistadores no profesionales en valoración contingente," Estudios de Economia Aplicada, Estudios de Economia Aplicada, vol. 18, pages 5-19, Agosto.

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