Economics

Individualized geocoding in stated preference questionnaires: Implications for survey design and welfare estimation

Document Type

Article

Abstract

This paper evaluates the common practice of generic mapping in stated preference valuation, in which identical policy area maps are shown to all respondents. This is compared to a more information- intensive alternative in which individualized maps identify the location of each respondent's home relative to policy effects. The evaluation is grounded in a theoretical model clarifying the impact of individualized spatial information on preferences for nonmarket outcomes. The model is illustrated using an application of choice experiments to riparian restoration in coastal Maine. Results characterize valuation contexts for which valid preference elicitation likely requires the provision of individualized spatial information.

Publication Title

Land Economics

Publication Date

2016

Volume

92

Issue

4

First Page

737

Last Page

759

ISSN

0023-7639

DOI

10.3368/le.92.4.737

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