@article{nelson_parton_brown_2022, title={Biofuels policy and innovation impacts: Evidence from biofuels and agricultural patent indicators}, volume={162}, ISSN={["1873-6777"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112767}, abstractNote={In the early 2000s, governments implemented policies stimulating the use of ethanol and biodiesel to reduce carbon emissions and encourage domestic energy production. Blend mandates requiring gasoline or diesel to contain a minimum percentage of these biofuels were a favored policy instrument. Theoretical work by Clancy and Moschini (2017) concluded that, if innovation were stimulated by mandates, then the socially optimal mandate would be higher than if innovation were not possible. We test the impact of blend mandates and other biofuels policies on innovation using measures of patenting activity that correspond with research effort and research output. Our analysis shows that ethanol blend mandates significantly increased both R&D effort and quality-weighted innovation output in biofuels technologies while reducing the R&D inputs to plant technologies. This suggests that biofuels innovation increased in response to the policies, with firms substituting some R&D effort away from plant technologies research. Despite decreased R&D effort, output of plant innovation held steady as effort shifted to biofuels, supporting the presence of a spillover effect between biofuels innovation and plant innovation. We find that biodiesel blend mandates did not significantly impact R&D efforts in either plant or biofuels technologies. Furthermore, policies other than blend mandates had varying effects, ranging from limited increases in R&D activity to significant decreases in innovation. JEL Codes: O31, O38, Q16, Q48, Q55. • Ethanol blend mandates influenced patenting in biofuels and plant categories. • Other biofuels policies did not consistently affect patenting in those technologies. • Research on biofuels may benefit research in biotechnology.}, journal={ENERGY POLICY}, author={Nelson, Kelly P. and Parton, Lee C. and Brown, Zachary S.}, year={2022}, month={Mar} }
 @article{brown_2022, title={Distributional policy impacts, WTP-WTA disparities, and the Kaldor-Hicks tests in benefit-cost analysis}, volume={113}, ISSN={["1096-0449"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.jeem.2022.102654}, abstractNote={I examine how inequality in the distribution of income and a quasi-fixed good (e.g. environmental quality) can affect the disparity between aggregate willingness to accept (WTA) and willingness to pay (WTP) for policies that induce joint, nonmarginal and heterogeneous changes to income and the quasi-fixed good. These disparities can generate divergent conclusions from benefit-cost analysis (BCA). With Cobb-Douglas preferences, I show that greater inequality in policy impacts to the quasi-fixed good generally increases the range of conflicting conclusions from BCA using the Kaldor criterion (compensating variation) versus the Hicks criterion (equivalent variation). In two examples, I show that for any set of impacts to the quasi-fixed good there exists a degree of inequality in which the Kaldor-Hicks tests disagree. This disagreement arises because, with inequality, seemingly marginal policy changes can become nonmarginal when concentrated among marginalized or privileged groups, which can widen the gap between aggregate WTP and WTA. With CES preferences, when the goods are complements, WTA may be infinite, and when they are substitutes, budget constraints attenuate WTP: Both effects push the Kaldor-Hicks tests in opposing directions. I conclude that greater inequality increases the relevance of questioning whether to elicit WTP or WTA in nonmarket valuation for BCA.}, journal={JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT}, author={Brown, Zachary Steven}, year={2022}, month={May} }
 @article{brown_connor_rejesus_yorobe_2021, title={Landscape-level feedbacks in the demand for transgenic pesticidal corn in the Philippines}, volume={180}, ISSN={["1873-6106"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106883}, abstractNote={We introduce a novel econometric approach to estimate economic pest control feedbacks within agroecological systems, using discrete choice endogenous sorting models. We apply this approach to deployment of transgenic Bt maize in the Philippines. We show with basic theory how areawide pest suppression from largescale Bt maize deployment attenuates farmers' demand for this technology. Econometric results support this hypothesis and imply long-run demand for the Bt trait is price-inelastic, contrasting with price-elastic demand estimated from a model without feedback. Investigating whether this feedback truly derives from areawide pest suppression, we analyze farmers' pest infestation expectations and find expected damages are significantly reduced by higher areawide Bt deployment. We discuss implications of these findings and other potential applications of the econometric approach to study coupled biological and economic systems.}, journal={ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS}, author={Brown, Zachary S. and Connor, Lawson and Rejesus, Roderick M. and Yorobe, Jose M., Jr.}, year={2021}, month={Feb} }
 @misc{jorgensen_folke_henriksson_malmros_troell_zorzet_aktipis_brown_carriere_downes_et al._2020, title={Coevolutionary Governance of Antibiotic and Pesticide Resistance}, volume={35}, ISSN={["1872-8383"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.tree.2020.01.011}, abstractNote={Development of new biocides has dominated human responses to evolution of antibiotic and pesticide resistance. Increasing and uniform biocide use, the spread of resistance genes, and the lack of new classes of compounds indicate the importance of navigating toward more sustainable coevolutionary dynamics between human culture and species that evolve resistance. To inform this challenge, we introduce the concept of coevolutionary governance and propose three priorities for its implementation: (i) new norms and mental models for lowering use, (ii) diversifying practices to reduce directional selection, and (iii) investment in collective action institutions to govern connectivity. We highlight the availability of solutions that facilitate broader sustainable development, which for antibiotic resistance include improved sanitation and hygiene, strong health systems, and decreased meat consumption.}, number={6}, journal={TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION}, author={Jorgensen, Peter Sogaard and Folke, Carl and Henriksson, Patrik J. G. and Malmros, Karin and Troell, Max and Zorzet, Anna and Aktipis, Athena and Brown, Zachary and Carriere, Yves and Downes, Sharon and et al.}, year={2020}, month={Jun}, pages={484–494} }
 @article{carriere_brown_aglasan_dutilleul_carroll_head_tabashnik_jorgensen_carroll_2020, title={Crop rotation mitigates impacts of corn rootworm resistance to transgenic Bt corn}, volume={117}, ISSN={["0027-8424"]}, DOI={10.1073/pnas.2003604117}, abstractNote={Significance The western corn rootworm, a major insect pest in the Midwestern United States, has evolved resistance to genetically engineered corn that produces insecticidal proteins derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). To evaluate tactics for reducing the damage caused by resistant rootworms, we analyzed field data for 2011 to 2016 from Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota. The frequency of corn fields with severe rootworm damage was reduced by rotating corn with other crops and by not planting the same type of Bt corn year after year in the same field. These results support the EPA’s recommendations to decrease the negative impacts of rootworm resistance to Bt corn by rotating corn with other crops and diversifying the type of Bt corn planted.}, number={31}, journal={PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA}, author={Carriere, Yves and Brown, Zachary and Aglasan, Serkan and Dutilleul, Pierre and Carroll, Matthew and Head, Graham and Tabashnik, Bruce E. and Jorgensen, Peter Sogaard and Carroll, Scott P.}, year={2020}, month={Aug}, pages={18385–18392} }
 @article{jones_delborne_elsensohn_mitchell_brown_2019, title={Does the U.S. public support using gene drives in agriculture? And what do they want to know?}, volume={5}, ISSN={2375-2548}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aau8462}, DOI={10.1126/sciadv.aau8462}, abstractNote={With gene drives for agricultural pest control on the horizon, a survey suggests the public is receptive but concerned about risk.}, number={9}, journal={Science Advances}, publisher={American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)}, author={Jones, Michael S. and Delborne, Jason A. and Elsensohn, Johanna and Mitchell, Paul D. and Brown, Zachary S.}, year={2019}, month={Sep}, pages={eaau8462} }
 @inbook{brown_jones_mumford_2019, title={Economic principles and concepts in area-wide genetic pest management.}, ISBN={9781786393678}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1079/9781786393678.0096}, DOI={10.1079/9781786393678.0096}, abstractNote={<title>Abstract</title> The objective of the article was to explore the key economic principles for the inclusion of genetically engineered insects within integrated pest management (IPM) programmes, discussing proposed examples with agriculture and health applications.}, booktitle={The economics of integrated pest management of insects}, publisher={CABI}, author={Brown, Z. S. and Jones, M. S. and Mumford, J.}, year={2019}, pages={96–121} }
 @article{carrière_brown_downes_gujar_epstein_omoto_storer_mota-sanchez_søgaard jørgensen_carroll_2019, title={Governing evolution: A socioecological comparison of resistance management for insecticidal transgenic Bt crops among four countries}, volume={3}, ISSN={0044-7447 1654-7209}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13280-019-01167-0}, DOI={10.1007/s13280-019-01167-0}, abstractNote={Cooperative management of pest susceptibility to transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crops is pursued worldwide in a variety of forms and to varying degrees of success depending on context. We examine this context using a comparative socioecological analysis of resistance management in Australia, Brazil, India, and the United States. We find that a shared understanding of resistance risks among government regulators, growers, and other actors is critical for effective governance. Furthermore, monitoring of grower compliance with resistance management requirements, surveillance of resistance, and mechanisms to support rapid implementation of remedial actions are essential to achieve desirable outcomes. Mandated resistance management measures, strong coordination between actors, and direct linkages between the group that appraises resistance risks and growers also appear to enhance prospects for effective governance. Our analysis highlights factors that could improve current governance systems and inform other initiatives to conserve susceptibility as a contribution to the cause of public good.}, journal={Ambio}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Carrière, Yves and Brown, Zachary S. and Downes, Sharon J. and Gujar, Govind and Epstein, Graham and Omoto, Celso and Storer, Nicholas P. and Mota-Sanchez, David and Søgaard Jørgensen, Peter and Carroll, Scott P.}, year={2019}, month={Mar} }
 @article{kuzma_gould_brown_collins_delborne_frow_esvelt_guston_leitschuh_oye_et al._2018, title={A roadmap for gene drives: using institutional analysis and development to frame research needs and governance in a systems context}, volume={5}, ISSN={2329-9460 2329-9037}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23299460.2017.1410344}, DOI={10.1080/23299460.2017.1410344}, abstractNote={The deployment of gene drives is emerging as an alternative for protecting endangered species, controlling agricultural pests, and reducing vector-borne diseases. This paper reports on a workshop held in February 2016 to explore the complex intersection of political, economic, ethical, and ecological risk issues associated with gene drives. Workshop participants were encouraged to use systems thinking and mapping to describe the connections among social, policy, economic, and ecological variables as they intersect within governance systems. In this paper, we analyze the workshop transcripts and maps using the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework to categorize variables associated with gene drive governance and account for the complexities of socio-ecological systems. We discuss how the IAD framework can be used in the future to test hypotheses about how features of governance systems might lead to certain outcomes and inform the design of research programs, public engagement, and anticipatory governance of gene drives.}, number={S1}, journal={Journal of Responsible Innovation}, publisher={Taylor & Francis}, author={Kuzma, J. and Gould, F. and Brown, Z. and Collins, J. and Delborne, J. and Frow, E. and Esvelt, K. and Guston, D. and Leitschuh, C. and Oye, K. and et al.}, year={2018}, pages={S13–S39} }
 @article{brown_carter_gould_2018, title={An Introduction to the Proceedings of the Environmental Release of Engineered Pests: Building an International Governance Framework}, volume={12}, url={https://bmcproc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12919-018-0105-1}, DOI={10.1186/s12919-018-0105-1}, abstractNote={In October 2016, a two-day meeting of 65 academic, government and industry professionals was held at North Carolina State University for early-stage discussions about the international governance of gene drives: potentially powerful new technologies that can be used for the control of pests, invasive species and disease vectors. Presenters at the meeting prepared seven manuscripts elaborating on the ideas raised. This BMC Proceedings issue presents the collection of these peer-reviewed manuscripts.}, number={Suppl 8}, journal={BMC Proc}, publisher={Springer Nature}, author={Brown, Z.S. and Carter, L. and Gould, F.}, year={2018}, pages={10} }
 @misc{jorgensen_aktipis_brown_carriere_downes_dunn_epstein_frisvold_hawthorne_grohn_et al._2018, title={Antibiotic and pesticide susceptibility and the Anthropocene operating space}, volume={1}, ISSN={["2398-9629"]}, DOI={10.1038/s41893-018-0164-3}, number={11}, journal={NATURE SUSTAINABILITY}, publisher={Springer Nature America, Inc}, author={Jorgensen, Peter Sogaard and Aktipis, Athena and Brown, Zachary and Carriere, Yves and Downes, Sharon and Dunn, Robert R. and Epstein, Graham and Frisvold, George B. and Hawthorne, David and Grohn, Yrjo T. and et al.}, year={2018}, month={Nov}, pages={632–641} }
 @book{epa scientific advisory panel 2018 meeting report on resistance to lepidopteran pests to bacillus thuringiensis (bt) plant incorporated protectants (pips) in the united states_2018, url={https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2017-0617-0078}, number={Federal Docket ID EPA-HQ-OPP-2017-0617}, year={2018} }
 @article{miteva_brown_2018, title={Impact of land tenure insecurity on investment: Evidence from northern Uganda}, volume={6}, number={1}, journal={The Ghanaian Journal of Economics}, author={Miteva, D. and Brown, Z.S.}, year={2018}, pages={21–42} }
 @article{dalaba_alirigia_mesenbring_coffey_brown_hannigan_wiedinmyer_oduro_dickinson_2018, title={Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) Supply and Demand for Cooking in Northern Ghana}, volume={15}, ISSN={["1612-9210"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-018-1351-4}, DOI={10.1007/s10393-018-1351-4}, abstractNote={Like many other countries, Ghana relies on biomass (mainly wood and charcoal) for most of its cooking needs. A national action plan aims to expand liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) access to 50% of the country's population by 2020. While the country's southern urban areas have made progress toward this goal, LPG use for cooking remains low in the north. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to characterize the current state of the LPG market in this area and examine opportunities and barriers to scale up LPG adoption. We interviewed 16 LPG suppliers (stove, cylinder, and fuel vendors) as well as 592 households in the Kassena-Nankana Districts (KND) of Ghana. We find large rural-urban differences in LPG uptake: less than 10% of rural households own LPG stoves compared with over half of urban households. Awareness of LPG is high across the region, but accessibility of fuel supply is highly limited, with just one refilling station located in the KND. Affordability is perceived as the main barrier to LPG adoption, and acceptability is also limited by widespread concerns about the safety of cooking with LPG. Transitioning to a cylinder recirculation model, and providing more targeted subsidies and credit options, should be explored to expand access to cleaner cooking in this region.}, number={4}, journal={EcoHealth}, publisher={Springer Nature}, author={Dalaba, M. and Alirigia, R. and Mesenbring, E. and Coffey, E. and Brown, Z.S. and Hannigan, M. and Wiedinmyer, C. and Oduro, A. and Dickinson, K.L.}, year={2018}, month={Dec}, pages={716–728} }
 @article{dickinson_dalaba_brown_alirigia_coffey_mesenbring_achazanaga_agao_ali_kanyomse_et al._2018, title={Prices, peers, and perceptions (P3): study protocol for improved biomass cookstove project in northern Ghana}, volume={18}, ISSN={["1471-2458"]}, DOI={10.1186/s12889-018-6116-z}, abstractNote={Despite their potential health and social benefits, adoption and use of improved cookstoves has been low throughout much of the world. Explanations for low adoption rates of these technologies include prices that are not affordable for the target populations, limited opportunities for households to learn about cookstoves through peers, and perceptions that these technologies are not appropriate for local cooking needs. The P3 project employs a novel experimental design to explore each of these factors and their interactive effects on cookstove demand, adoption, use and exposure outcomes.The P3 study is being conducted in the Kassena-Nankana Districts of Northern Ghana. Leveraging an earlier improved cookstove study that was conducted in this area, the central design of the P3 biomass stove experiment involves offering stoves at randomly varying prices to peers and non-peers of households that had previously received stoves for free. Using household surveys, electronic stove use monitors, and low-cost, portable monitoring equipment, we measure how prices and peers' experience affect perceptions of stove quality, the decision to purchase a stove, use of improved and traditional stoves over time, and personal exposure to air pollutants from the stoves.The challenges that public health and development communities have faced in spreading adoption of potentially welfare-enhancing technologies, like improved cookstoves, have highlighted the need for interdisciplinary, multisectoral approaches. The design of the P3 project draws on economic theory, public health practice, engineering, and environmental sciences, to more fully grasp the drivers and barriers to expanding access to and uptake of cleaner stoves. Our partnership between academic institutions, in the US and Ghana, and a local environmental non-governmental organization creates unique opportunities to disseminate and scale up lessons learned.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03617952 7/31/18 (Retrospectively Registered).}, number={1}, journal={BMC PUBLIC HEALTH}, publisher={Springer Nature America, Inc}, author={Dickinson, Katherine L. and Dalaba, Maxwell and Brown, Zachary S. and Alirigia, Rex and Coffey, Evan R. and Mesenbring, Elise and Achazanaga, Manies and Agao, Desmond and Ali, Moro and Kanyomse, Ernest and et al.}, year={2018}, month={Oct} }
 @book{brown_2018, title={Resistance in Lepidopteran Pests to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Plant Incorporated Protectants in the United States}, DOI={10.1007/978-94-007-2156-2_10}, number={Federal Docket ID EPA-HQ-OPP-2017-0617Federal Docket ID EPA-HQ-OPP-2017-0617}, author={Brown, Z.S.}, year={2018}, month={Jul} }
 @article{brown_2018, title={Voluntary programs to encourage compliance with refuge regulations for pesticide resistance management: evidence from a quasi-experiment}, volume={100}, url={https://cenrep.ncsu.edu/publications/wp17-015/}, DOI={10.1093/ajae/aay004}, abstractNote={Economists often treat pesticide resistance as a common-pool resource problem. While pecuniary economic incentives are the standard prescription for open-access market failures arising from such resources, non-pecuniary behavioral approaches (e.g., “nudges”) are also effective in some cases. Yet non-pecuniary instruments have not previously been evaluated for managing pesticide resistance. I empirically evaluate the performance of such an intervention to manage pest resistance to genetically engineered Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency permits sale of Bt seed conditional on seed producers compelling customers to plant mandated levels of non-Bt refuge to delay the evolution of Bt resistance. Because of compliance challenges, the Bt seed producer Monsanto piloted a social marketing program to promote refuge in 17 North Carolina counties in 2013–2014. Using 2013–2016 sales data, I use difference-in-differences, fractional regression, discrete changes-in-changes, and matched differences econometric models to identify the average treatment effect of the program on refuge planting. Results suggest that if it had covered all corn growers in North Carolina, the intervention would have led the average grower to plant between 2.6% (preferred estimate) and 5.8% more refuge in 2014 compared to the counterfactual. The program increased by at least 12% the average probability of planting any refuge in 2014. I find little evidence that effects of the program persisted in subsequent years after cessation, nor that the program increased compliance with mandated refuge thresholds. Informed by behavioral economics research on other environmental and resource policies, I discuss the implications of these findings for pesticide resistance management.}, number={3}, journal={American Journal of Agricultural Economics}, publisher={Oxford University Press (OUP)}, author={Brown, Z.S.}, year={2018}, pages={844–867} }
 @article{gould_brown_kuzma_2018, title={Wicked evolution: Can we address the sociobiological dilemma of pesticide resistance?}, volume={360}, ISSN={0036-8075 1095-9203}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aar3780}, DOI={10.1126/science.aar3780}, abstractNote={Resistance to insecticides and herbicides has cost billions of U.S. dollars in the agricultural sector and could result in millions of lives lost to insect-vectored diseases. We mostly continue to use pesticides as if resistance is a temporary issue that will be addressed by commercialization of new pesticides with novel modes of action. However, current evidence suggests that insect and weed evolution may outstrip our ability to replace outmoded chemicals and other control mechanisms. To avoid this outcome, we must address the mix of ecological, genetic, economic, and sociopolitical factors that prevent implementation of sustainable pest management practices. We offer an ambitious proposition.}, number={6390}, journal={Science}, publisher={American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)}, author={Gould, Fred and Brown, Zachary S. and Kuzma, Jennifer}, year={2018}, month={May}, pages={728–732} }
 @article{mitchell_brown_mcroberts_2017, title={Economic issues to consider for gene drives}, volume={5}, ISSN={2329-9460 2329-9037}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23299460.2017.1407914}, DOI={10.1080/23299460.2017.1407914}, abstractNote={We examine four economic issues regarding gene drive applications made possible by gene editing technologies. First, whether gene drives are self-sustaining or self-limiting will largely determine which types of organizations have incentives to develop and deploy gene drives and greatly influence their governance and regulation. Social factors will also play key roles, particularly public perceptions, with these perceptions co-determined with regulation and governance. Second, gene drive applications will generate unintended negative social impacts that will partially offset benefits. Third, economic surplus, the traditional measure of economic benefits, incompletely captures the welfare impacts of gene drive applications. Fourth, gene drives imply dynamic nonlinearities that make identifying economic equilibria and general policy recommendations challenging. The potentially substantial benefits, coupled with the technical, social, and economic uncertainties surrounding gene drives, suggest that a responsible course of action is to move forward while maintaining regulatory flexibility and conducting research to resolve key uncertainties.}, number={sup1}, journal={Journal of Responsible Innovation}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Mitchell, Paul D. and Brown, Zachary and McRoberts, Neil}, year={2017}, month={Dec}, pages={S180–S202} }
 @article{brown_kramer_2017, title={Preference Heterogeneity in the Structural Estimation of Efficient Pigovian Incentives for Insecticide Spraying to Reduce Malaria}, volume={70}, ISSN={0924-6460 1573-1502}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10640-017-0115-x}, DOI={10.1007/s10640-017-0115-x}, number={1}, journal={Environmental and Resource Economics}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Brown, Zachary S. and Kramer, Randall A.}, year={2017}, month={Jan}, pages={169–190} }
 @article{miteva_kramer_brown_smith_2017, title={SPATIAL PATTERNS OF MARKET PARTICIPATION AND RESOURCE EXTRACTION: FUELWOOD COLLECTION IN NORTHERN UGANDA}, volume={99}, ISSN={["1467-8276"]}, DOI={10.1093/ajae/aax027}, abstractNote={While distance to markets is a key determinant of market participation for households that are dependent on natural resources, the distance to the resource stock is also essential. Thus, a household’s location with respect to markets and the resource stock determines household market participation and associated resource degradation. Applying a discrete-choice framework for fuelwood collection in a developing country, we characterize the spatial pattern of market participation regimes and forest use. All else being equal, autarkic households are closest to the forest and furthest from the market, buyer households are closest to the market and furthest from the forest, and seller households are at intermediate distances. Empirical tests based on survey data from northern Uganda support the predictions from our theoretical model. Our findings have important implications for understanding the spatial patterns of forest degradation and determining the control group when designing impact evaluations of the effectiveness of development and conservation interventions.}, number={4}, journal={AMERICAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS}, publisher={Oxford University Press (OUP)}, author={Miteva, Daniela A. and Kramer, Randall A. and Brown, Zachary S. and Smith, Martin D.}, year={2017}, month={Jul}, pages={1008–1026} }
 @article{brown_2017, title={The Economics, Regulation and International Implications of Gene Drives in Agriculture}, volume={Quarter 2}, url={http://www.choicesmagazine.org/choices-magazine/submitted-articles/economic-regulatory-and-international-implications-of-gene-drives-in-agriculture}, journal={Choices}, author={Brown, Z.S.}, year={2017} }
 @article{kim_brown_anderson_mutero_miranda_wiener_kramer_2017, title={The Value of Information in Decision-Analytic Modeling for Malaria Vector Control in East Africa}, volume={37}, ISSN={["1539-6924"]}, DOI={10.1111/risa.12606}, abstractNote={Decision analysis tools and mathematical modeling are increasingly emphasized in malaria control programs worldwide to improve resource allocation and address ongoing challenges with sustainability. However, such tools require substantial scientific evidence, which is costly to acquire. The value of information (VOI) has been proposed as a metric for gauging the value of reduced model uncertainty. We apply this concept to an evidenced-based Malaria Decision Analysis Support Tool (MDAST) designed for application in East Africa. In developing MDAST, substantial gaps in the scientific evidence base were identified regarding insecticide resistance in malaria vector control and the effectiveness of alternative mosquito control approaches, including larviciding. We identify four entomological parameters in the model (two for insecticide resistance and two for larviciding) that involve high levels of uncertainty and to which outputs in MDAST are sensitive. We estimate and compare a VOI for combinations of these parameters in evaluating three policy alternatives relative to a status quo policy. We find having perfect information on the uncertain parameters could improve program net benefits by up to 5–21%, with the highest VOI associated with jointly eliminating uncertainty about reproductive speed of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes and initial efficacy of larviciding at reducing the emergence of new adult mosquitoes. Future research on parameter uncertainty in decision analysis of malaria control policy should investigate the VOI with respect to other aspects of malaria transmission (such as antimalarial resistance), the costs of reducing uncertainty in these parameters, and the extent to which imperfect information about these parameters can improve payoffs.}, number={2}, journal={RISK ANALYSIS}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Kim, Dohyeong and Brown, Zachary and Anderson, Richard and Mutero, Clifford and Miranda, Marie Lynn and Wiener, Jonathan and Kramer, Randall}, year={2017}, month={Feb}, pages={231–244} }
 @article{brown_kramer_ocan_oryema_2016, title={Household perceptions and subjective valuations of indoor residual spraying programmes to control malaria in northern Uganda}, volume={5}, ISSN={["2049-9957"]}, DOI={10.1186/s40249-016-0190-1}, abstractNote={Insecticide-based tools remain critical for controlling vector-borne diseases in Uganda. Securing public support from targeted populations for such tools is an important component in sustaining their long-run effectiveness. Yet little quantitative evidence is available on the perceived benefits and costs of vector control programmes among targeted households.A survey was administered to a clustered random sample of 612 households in Gulu and Oyam districts of northern Uganda during a period of very high malaria transmission and following a pilot indoor residual spray (IRS) programme. A discrete choice experiment was conducted within the survey, in which respondents indicated their preferences for different IRS programmes relative to money compensation in a series of experimentally controlled, hypothetical choice sets. The data were analysed using conditional logit regression models to estimate respondents' willingness to accept (WTA) some amount of money compensation in lieu of foregone malaria risk reductions. Latent class models were used to analyse whether respondent characteristics predicted WTA.Average WTA is estimated at $8.94 annually for a 10 % reduction in malaria risk, and additional co-benefits of IRS were estimated to be worth on average $54-$56 (depending on insecticide type) per round of IRS. Significant heterogeneity is observed: Four in five household heads in northern Uganda have high valuations for IRS programmes, while the remaining 20 % experience costly side effects of IRS (valued at between $2 and $3 per round). Statistically significant predictors of belonging to the high-value group include respondent gender, mean age of household members, participation in previous IRS, basic knowledge of mosquito reproduction, and the number of mosquito nets owned. Proxies for household income and wealth are not found to be statistically significant predictors of WTA.This study suggests that the majority of people in areas of high malaria transmission like northern Uganda place a high value on vector control programmes using IRS. However, there is significant heterogeneity in terms of the perceived side effects (positive and negative). This has implications for sustaining public support for these programmes in the long-term.}, number={1}, journal={INFECTIOUS DISEASES OF POVERTY}, publisher={Springer Nature}, author={Brown, Zachary S. and Kramer, Randall A. and Ocan, David and Oryema, Christine}, year={2016}, month={Oct} }
 @article{brown_oueslati_silva_2016, title={Links between urban structure and life satisfaction in a cross-section of OECD metro areas}, volume={129}, ISSN={["1873-6106"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.ecolecon.2016.05.004}, abstractNote={Contemporary urban planning is often oriented towards encouraging compact cities and the prevention of sprawl. But relatively little empirical work has quantitatively examined how land-use fragmentation, population density and compactness determine individual wellbeing. We analyse the relationship between these aspects of urban structure and life satisfaction in 33 cities distributed across five OECD countries. We create a unique dataset merging a household survey on environmental attitudes and behaviours in these countries with geospatial data on a number of indicators related to urban structure. In support of standard urban economic theory, we find a life satisfaction trade-off in terms of households' home sizes and distances to the urban core. A novel finding from the analysis is that the degree of local land-use fragmentation around households' residence is associated strongly and negatively with life satisfaction. We also find suggestive evidence that city centralization (the relative proportion of the population living in the core) decreases life satisfaction on average for individuals residing both within and outside the core.}, journal={ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Brown, Zachary S. and Oueslati, Walid and Silva, Jerome}, year={2016}, month={Sep}, pages={112–121} }
 @inbook{trasande_brown_2015, place={Maidenhead, UK}, title={Addressing environmental risks for child health}, url={https://books.google.com/books?id=COrSCgAAQBAJ&lpg=PA169&ots=CAuZbBcuiL&lr&pg=PA169#v=onepage&q&f=false}, booktitle={Promoting health, preventing disease: the economic case}, publisher={World Health Organization, Open University Press}, author={Trasande, L. and Brown, Z.S.}, editor={McDaid, D. and Sassi, F. and Merkur, S.Editors}, year={2015} }
 @book{brown_alvarez_johnstone_2015, series={OECD Environment Working Papers}, title={Tender instruments: programme participation and impact in australian conservation tenders, grants and volunteer organisations}, url={https://ideas.repec.org/p/oec/envaaa/85-en.html}, DOI={10.1787/5js4k0t30hvc-en}, abstractNote={A striking variety of policy instruments are used in Victoria, Australia to achieve conservation objectives. These include highly active voluntary programmes, a variety of conservation grants, and a reverse auction for the provision of ecosystem services, known as EcoTender. An open question regarding such payments for ecosystem services (i.e. grants and tenders) is whether they achieve ‘additionality.’ That is, do they lead to conservation above the status quo? Critics of these instruments allege that the majority of funds for such programmes are merely paying individuals for conservation work they are already doing. A related concern is that monetary incentives for conservation may skew landowners’ motives more towards monetary concerns, and erode nature conservation values. The practical implication of this ‘moral crowding out’ is that, if funding is ever suspended for conservation grants or EcoTenders, then conservation may decline below its original, pre-programme level. To investigate both of these concerns, a telephone survey was conducted with 266 farmers in Victoria.
Analysis of the data suggests that there is a strong correlation between stated levels of own-property conservation effort and activity in local volunteer groups, as well as having received a conservation grant or tender. However, this does not address the additionality question, because landowners already engaged in such efforts may be more likely to be awarded grants or tenders. This presents an endogeneity problem. While panel data are ultimately necessary to answer this question definitively, application of instrumental variables methods provides some insight. The methods imply that grants and tenders may achieve ‘additionality’ only when they reach those otherwise uninvolved with conservation programmes, in particular those not volunteering. This suggests that conservation tenders can improve their cost-effectiveness by increasing participation among those not already volunteering in other conservation programmes.
Meanwhile, there is fairly strong evidence in the data for the potential for moral-crowding-out; tender or grant receipt appears to shift stated motivations towards more monetary concerns. However, the practical implications of this finding – that is, whether this erosion of attitudes translates in blunted conservation efforts – remain unknown.}, number={85858585}, journal={OECD Environment Working Papers}, institution={OECD Publishing}, author={Brown, Z.S. and Alvarez, B. and Johnstone, N.}, year={2015}, collection={OECD Environment Working Papers} }
 @article{brown_johnstone_2014, title={Better the devil you throw: Experience and support for pay-as-you-throw waste charges}, volume={38}, ISSN={["1873-6416"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.envsci.2013.11.007}, abstractNote={Environmental taxes have long been proposed as an efficient means of improving the fiscal solvency of governments, while at the same time correcting for environmental externalities. However, public support for environmental taxes is often low, making the implementation of these instruments politically challenging in some settings. Scholars have explored the reasons for this broad, negative attitude towards environmental taxes, especially since these taxes are by design supposed to be welfare-improving. But previous empirical analysis on this topic is sparse and limited in context. Here, we empirically analyze support for environmental taxes across four countries, using a household survey on environmental attitudes, behaviour and policy exposure conducted by OECD during 2011. The environmental tax we focus on is pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) charges for mixed waste collection. Looking at expressed levels of support for PAYT charges, we find that people who are exposed to such systems tend to be significantly more supportive of them. This indicates that ex ante public resistance to such schemes is likely to dissipate following their introduction, a pattern which is supported by other, anecdotal reports and by lab experiments with generic Pigouvian taxes which we summarize in the literature review.}, journal={ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Brown, Zachary S. and Johnstone, Nick}, year={2014}, month={Apr}, pages={132–142} }
 @book{brown_2014, series={OECD Environment Working Papers}, title={Greening Household Behaviour: Cross-Domain comparisons in environmental attitudes and behaviours using spatial effects}, url={https://ideas.repec.org/p/oec/envaaa/68-en.html}, DOI={10.1787/5jxrclsj8z7b-en}, abstractNote={Discussions of the importance of public attitudes in shaping policy often lack clear evidence on causal relations between stated attitudes and observed behaviours. The 2011 OECD Survey of over 12,000 households allows analysing households’ environmental attitudes and behaviours in five different domains (electricity, food, transport, waste and water). Using econometric analysis, we investigate the relationship between stated environmental attitudes and indicators of civic engagement, such as voting in local elections, charity membership and membership in environmental organisations...}, number={68686868}, journal={OECD Environment Working Papers}, institution={OECD Publishing}, author={Brown, Z.S.}, year={2014}, collection={OECD Environment Working Papers} }
 @book{serret_brown_2014, series={OECD Environment Working Papers}, title={Greening Household Behaviour: Overview of Results from Econometric Analysis and Policy Implications}, url={https://ideas.repec.org/p/oec/envaaa/79-en.html#more}, DOI={10.1787/5jxrcllt1kq5-en}, abstractNote={The second round of the OECD Survey on Environmental Policy for Individual Behaviour Change (EPIC) was implemented in 2011. A publication providing an overview of the survey data from over 12 000 households in eleven countries (Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Israel, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland) is available.1 Follow-up econometric analyses were conducted in each of the thematic areas covered (energy, food, transport, waste and water), as well as on cross-domain comparisons in environmental attitudes and behaviours.2 This report presents a synthesis of main results from econometric analysis using the data from the 2011 EPIC survey, as well as policy implications.}, number={79797979}, journal={OECD Environment Working Papers}, institution={OECD Publishing}, author={Serret, Y. and Brown, Z.S.}, year={2014}, collection={OECD Environment Working Papers} }
 @book{brown_2013, title={Background information on the assessment of alternatives to DDT}, url={http://chm.pops.int/TheConvention/POPsReviewCommittee/Meetings/POPRC7/POPRC7Documents/tabid/2267/ctl/Download/mid/7443/Default.aspx?id=23&ObjID=12892}, note={UNEP/POPS/POPRC.7/INF/19}, number={UNEP/POPS/POPRC.7/INF/19}, institution={Stockholm Convention Secretariat}, author={Brown, Z.S.}, year={2013} }
 @book{brown_johnstone_serret-itzicsohn_economic co-operation_2013, title={Greening household behaviour: overview from the 2011 survey}, ISBN={978-92-64-18082-6 978-92-64-18137-3}, note={OCLC: 851255257}, author={Brown, Zachary and Johnstone, Nick and Serret-Itzicsohn, Yse and Economic Co-operation, Organisation}, year={2013} }
 @article{brown_dickinson_kramer_2013, title={Insecticide resistance and malaria vector control: The importance of fitness cost mechanisms in determining economically optimal control trajectories}, volume={106}, url={http://jee.oxfordjournals.org/content/106/1/366.abstract}, DOI={10.1603/ec11365}, abstractNote={The evolutionary dynamics of insecticide resistance in harmful arthropods has economic implications, not only for the control of agricultural pests (as has been well studied), but also for the control of disease vectors, such as malaria-transmitting Anopheles mosquitoes. Previous economic work on insecticide resistance illustrates the policy relevance of knowing whether insecticide resistance mutations involve fitness costs. Using a theoretical model, this article investigates economically optimal strategies for controlling malaria-transmitting mosquitoes when there is the potential for mosquitoes to evolve resistance to insecticides. Consistent with previous literature, we find that fitness costs are a key element in the computation of economically optimal resistance management strategies. Additionally, our models indicate that different biological mechanisms underlying these fitness costs (e.g., increased adult mortality and/or decreased fecundity) can significantly alter economically optimal resistance management strategies.}, number={1}, journal={Journal of Economic Entomology}, publisher={Oxford University Press (OUP)}, author={Brown, Z.S. and Dickinson, K. and Kramer, R.A.}, year={2013}, pages={366–374} }
 @book{silva_brown_2013, series={OECD Statistics Working Papers}, title={More than the Sum of their Parts: Valuing Environmental Quality by Combining Life Satisfaction Surveys and GIS Data}, url={http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/economics/more-than-the-sum-of-their-parts-valuing-environmental-quality-by-combining-life-satisfaction-surveys-and-gis-data_5k4840hfpwkb-en}, DOI={10.1787/5k4840hfpwkb-en}, abstractNote={While environmental economics studies using stated life satisfaction data have been gaining attention, much of this body of work remains exploratory. In this study we contribute to this emerging body of research by combining OECD survey data from four European countries on life satisfaction and perceptions of environmental quality with independent (i.e. mechanical) measurements of air quality and urbanity, from the European Environment Agency, to provide a broad picture of the environmental determinants of life satisfaction, and monetary valuation of air quality improvements. We also estimate that the value of a 1% reduction in air pollution (measured as mean annual PM10 concentrations) is worth the same on average as a 0.71% increase in per capita income. We find that environments which respondents perceive as noisy and lacking in access to green space have a significantly detrimental impact on life satisfaction. However, controlling for these negative factors (air, noise, and lack of green space), we also find a large positive residual impact of urban environments on life satisfaction. The use of independent, GIS-based measures of urbanity (proportion of urban surface area around households), as opposed to survey-based stated perceptions of urbanity, increases the precision of estimated air quality impacts on life satisfaction. Taken as a whole, our analysis highlights the need for conducting LS-based environmental assessment and valuation exercises using a broad array of independent data sources, in order both to obtain unbiased regression estimates and to facilitate interpretation of these estimates.}, number={2013/012013/012013/012013/01}, journal={OECD Statistics Working Papers}, institution={OECD Publishing}, author={Silva, J. and Brown, Z.S.}, year={2013}, collection={OECD Statistics Working Papers} }
 @article{brown_johnstone_haščič_vong_barascud_2013, title={Testing the effect of defaults on the thermostat settings of OECD employees}, volume={39}, url={http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988313000753}, DOI={10.1016/j.eneco.2013.04.011}, abstractNote={We describe a randomized controlled experiment in which the default settings on office thermostats in an OECD office building were manipulated during the winter heating season, and employees' chosen thermostat setting observed over a 6-week period. Using difference-in-differences, panel, and censored regression models (to control for maximum allowable thermostat settings), we find that a 1 °C decrease in the default caused a reduction in the chosen setting by 0.38 °C, on average. Sixty-five percent of this effect could be attributed to office occupant behavior (p-value = 0.044). The difference-in-differences models show that small decreases in the default (1°) led to a greater reduction in chosen settings than large decreases (2°). We also find that office occupants who were more apt to adjust their thermostats prior to the intervention were less susceptible to the default. We conclude that this kind of intervention can increase building-level energy efficiency, and discuss potential explanations and broader policy implications of our findings.}, journal={Energy Economics}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Brown, Z.S. and Johnstone, N. and Haščič, I. and Vong, L. and Barascud, F.}, year={2013}, pages={128–134} }
 @article{bellemare_brown_2010, title={On the (Mis)Use of Wealth as a Proxy for Risk Aversion}, volume={92}, url={http://ajae.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2010/01/20/ajae.aap006.short}, DOI={10.1093/ajae/aap006}, abstractNote={Abstract Tests of risk sharing in the contracting literature often rely on wealth as a proxy for risk aversion. The intuition behind these tests is that since contract choice is monotonic in the coefficients of risk aversion, which are themselves assumed monotonic in wealth, the effect of a change in wealth on contract choice is clearly identified. We show that tests of risk sharing relying on wealth as a proxy for risk aversion are identified only insofar as the econometrician is willing to assume that (a) the principal is risk neutral or her preferences exhibit constant absolute risk aversion (CARA); and (b) the agent is risk neutral.}, number={1}, journal={American Journal of Agricultural Economics}, publisher={Oxford University Press (OUP)}, author={Bellemare, M.F. and Brown, Z.S.}, year={2010}, pages={273–282} }