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Yes / Background Recently, primary care in the United Kingdom has undergone substantial changes in skill mix. Non-medical prescribing was introduced to improve patient access to medicines, make better use of different health practitioners’ skills and increase patient choice. There is little evidence about value-based patient preferences for ‘prescribing nurse’ in a general practice setting. Objective To quantify value-based patient preferences for the profession of prescriber and other factors that influence choice of consultation for managing a minor illness. Design Discrete choice experiment patient survey. Setting and participants Five general practices in England with non-medical prescribing services, questionnaires completed by 451 patients. Main outcome measure Stated choice of consultation. Main results There was a strong general preference for consulting ‘own doctor’ for minor illness. However, a consultation with a nurse prescriber with positive patient-focused attributes can be more acceptable to patients than a consultation provided by a doctor. Attributes ‘professional’s attention to patients’ views’ and extent of ‘help offered’ were pivotal. Past experience influenced preference. Discussion and conclusion Respondents demonstrated valid preferences. Preferences for consulting a doctor remained strong, but many were happy to consult with a nurse if other aspects of the consultation were improved. Findings show who to consult is not the only valued factor in choice of consultation for minor illness. The ‘prescribing nurse’ role has potential to offer consultation styles that patients value. Within the study’s limitations, these findings can inform delivery of primary care to enhance patient experience and substitute appropriate nurse prescribing consultations for medical prescribing consultations. / Department of Health, Project 016/0108. NIHR, CDF/01/2008/009.

The decline in bee populations, driven by biodiversity loss, poses a major threat to food production systems, as many wild plants and agricultural crops rely on bee pollination services. Addressing this issue requires coordinated efforts from producers, retailers, and consumers to restore pollinator habitats. This study explores two key aspects of promoting bee-friendly beef as a potential solution to support pollinator conservation. First, the study examines beef cattle producers' willingness to adopt native warm-season grass and wildflower (NWSG-WF) pastures through conservation programs. A discrete choice experiment revealed that producers require cost-share payments to convert pastureland into NWSG-WF systems. For a 10% conversion, producers would accept an average of $134.58 per acre (51% of establishment costs), while increasing conversions to 20% or 30% would raise the required payments to $154.55 (59%) and $199.06 (76%), respectively. Factors influencing producer participation include education level and interest in pollinator restoration, with those having thin forage coverage being more likely to adopt NWSG-WF. Second, a nationwide choice experiment survey of 2,136 U.S. beef consumers reveals a clear preference for bee-friendly beef over conventional options. On average, consumers are willing to pay $0.87 more per pound for beef produced using pollinator-friendly practices. Certain consumer segments, such as those who volunteer or donate to environmental organizations ($1.74/lb) and those knowledgeable about pollinator decline ($1.39/lb), exhibit an even higher willingness to pay. This suggests that raising public awareness about pollinator conservation could drive greater support for eco-labeled products like bee-friendly beef. Overall, the findings highlight opportunities to promote bee-friendly beef through consumer awareness campaigns and targeted conservation incentives for producers. By aligning consumer preferences with producer incentives, bee-friendly beef production can contribute to both pollinator conservation and sustainable cattle farming. / Doctor of Philosophy / The decline in bee populations, mainly due to the loss of biodiversity, threatens food production since many crops and wild plants depend on bees for pollination. Solving this issue requires joint efforts from farmers, retailers, and consumers to help restore pollinator habitats. This study looks at promoting bee-friendly beef as a possible solution to support bees. First, the study looks at whether beef cattle producers are willing to convert part of their pasture to native warm-season grass-and-wildflower pastures, which are better for bees, through conservation programs. Results from the analysis show that if a conservation program requires cattle producers to convert at least 10% of their pasture to NWSG-WF pasture, they would, on average, ask for $134.58 per acre as cost-share payment. This amount covers about 51% of the cost needed to establish the new type of pasture. However, if the program requires them to convert 20% or 30% of their land, the cost-share payment producers would request increases to $154.55 per acre (for 20% conversion) and $199.06 per acre (for 30% conversion). These amounts cover 59% and 76% of the establishment costs, respectively. Factors that influence their decision include education, interest in helping pollinators, and the condition of their current pastures. Second, a survey of 2,136 U.S. beef consumers shows that people prefer bee-friendly beef over regular beef. On average, they are willing to pay $0.87 more per pound for beef produced in ways that help pollinators. Some groups, like those who volunteer or donate to environmental causes ($1.74/lb) and those who know about the decline in pollinators ($1.39/lb), are willing to pay even more. This suggests that raising awareness about bees could boost support for eco-friendly products like bee-friendly beef. In conclusion, the study shows that increasing consumer awareness and offering financial incentives to farmers can help promote bee-friendly beef. By matching what consumers want with support for farmers, this approach can benefit both bee conservation and sustainable cattle rearing.

Die vier Beiträge der vorliegenden Dissertationsschrift untersuchen das Entscheidungsverhalten von Landwirten in unterschiedlichen Entscheidungssituationen. Das übergeordnete Ziel ist es, die Präferenzstruktur und Zahlungsbereitschaft von Landwirten in den untersuchten Entscheidungssituationen zu analysieren, um so die Informationsgrundlage als Entscheidungsbasis für Politiker und Berater sowie der Landwirte selbst zu erweitern. Hierzu findet die Methode der Discrete Choice Experimente in allen vier Beiträgen Anwendung. Im Einzelnen werden in den Beiträgen folgende Forschungsfragen untersucht: Der erste Beitrag prüft welche Faktoren die Entscheidung von Landwirten beeinflussen, den Preis für ihr Erntegut ex ante abzusichern. Im zweiten Beitrag werden die Präferenzen von Landwirten für das Eingehen einer Kooperation unter expliziter Berücksichtigung von nicht-monetären Faktoren analysiert. Der dritte Beitrag geht der Frage nach, welche Rolle die finanzielle Flexibilität in Investitionsentscheidungen von Landwirten spielt. Wie Anbauverträge für Biogas-Zuckerrüben aus Sicht der anbauenden Landwirte ausgestaltet sein müssen, wird im vierten Beitrag geklärt.

Diese Dissertation untersucht verschiedene soziale sowie landschaftsästhetische Funktionen der Landwirtschaft in strukturell gegensätzlichen Agrarsystemen. In der Untersuchung wird hierfür stets ein von kleinen Familienbetrieben dominiertes System mit einem stärker großstrukturierten, gewerblichen System verglichen. Die Arbeitszufriedenheit der Landwirte sowie ihre soziale Vernetzung mit der lokalen Gemeinde wurden im Vergleich zwischen dem kleinbäuerlichen Schweizer und dem großbetrieblichen nordostdeutschen System analysiert. Mittels Choice Experimenten wurden in der Schweiz und in Süddeutschland (d.h. kleinbäuerliche Systeme) sowie in Ostdeutschland (d.h. großstruktiertes, gewerbliches System) zudem Bevölkerungspräferenzen für Agrarlandschaften und damit die ästhetische Funktion der Landwirtschaft untersucht. Unter Berücksichtigung der Betriebsstruktur (z.B. Betriebsgröße) sind Schweizer Bauern zufriedener mit ihrer Arbeit als nordostdeutsche. Das Betriebseinkommen ist für nordostdeutsche Bauern signifikant wichtiger für die Arbeitszufriedenheit als für die Schweizer Kollegen. Besonders für Schweizer Bauern spielt die Betriebsdiversifizierung eine positive Rolle für die Zufriedenheit, z.B. die Vielfalt der Produktionszweige oder nicht-landwirtschaftliche Betriebszweige wie Agrotourismus. Auch haben Schweizer Bauern und solche kleinerer Betriebe mehr Bezug zu ihrer lokalen Gemeinde durch lokal fokussierte soziale Netzwerke. Betriebsleiter größerer Betriebe sind hauptsächlich außerhalb der Gemeinden vernetzt und fühlen sich diesen weniger zugehörig. Zudem stärkt ein biographischer Bezug zum Hof die Verbindung mit der Gemeinde. Die Mehrheit der befragten Schweizer und Ostdeutschen ist zudem für qualitative Veränderungen der Agrarlandschaften (d.h. mehr Weiden zur Freilandhaltung, Streuobstwiesen und höhere Biodiversität). Waldrückgange sowie Schlaggrößenveränderungen landwirtschaftlicher oder forstlicher Flächen werden nahezu einheitlich abgelehnt. / This dissertation investigates different social functions of agriculture as well as landscape aesthetics in farming systems of different agricultural structures. Throughout the whole project farming systems dominated by small family farms and large-scale farming systems dominated by commercial non-family farms (e.g. cooperatives) were compared. Farmers’ work satisfaction and their connection to the local community were examined in the small-scaled Swiss system and in the larger scaled Northeast (NE) German one. Public landscape preferences were derived using choice experiments in Switzerland and South Germany, representing small-scale systems, as well as in East Germany, representing a large-scaled one, to explore agriculture‘s aesthetic function. Swiss farmers are more satisfied with their agricultural work if for effects of farm structure (e.g. farm size) is controlled for. Farm income plays a significantly more important role for the work satisfaction of NE German farmers than for that of Swiss ones. Especially for Swiss farmers, farm diversification plays an important role, for example through a diversity of production lines or through non-agricultural activities like agrotourism. Further results show that Swiss farmers and farmers of smaller farms are more connected to their local communities through more locally focused social networks. Farmers of larger farms have their networks farther away from the farm and a weaker sense of belonging to their local community. A biographical bond to the farm also strenghtens the connection to the local community. Concerning public landscape preferences the majority of the Swiss and East German respondents generally prefers qualitative changes to landscapes (i.e. meadows for free range animal husbandry, meadow orchards and more biodiversity). Forest loss or changes in plot sizes of agricultural land and forests are nearly uniformly rejected in all regions.

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Nanotechnology is one of the key innovative technologies in the present century. The food industry has applied this technology in each of its sectors. Nanotechnology has tremendous potential in food and agriculture, including advancing agricultural cultivation and food production, enhancing food nutrition and flavor, and improving food packaging and preservation. However, the novel properties of nanoscale materials that allow beneficial applications are also accompanied with uncertainties, even unknown risks. A number of studies have examined public understanding as well as acceptance of nanotechnology via surveys in both the US and Europe. However, most of these studies concentrated on public attitudes in general. Few works focused on specific products, let alone food or food related products. This project will contribute to the literature by calculating monetary valuations (i.e., willingness-to-pay) for canola oil where new techniques are utilized. Using choice experiment survey data, consumers’ valuations for nano attributes were estimated with choice models. As implied, consumers were willing to pay $0.95 less for a typical bottle (48 fl. oz.) of canola oil if it was produced from nanoscale-modified seed; $0.51 less if the final products were packed with nanotechnology-enhanced packaging technique; and no significant difference was found for oil that was designed with health enhancing nano-engineered oil drops, which would require interaction with the human digestive system. Additionally, the results revealed unobserved heterogeneities among respondents in their willingness-to-pay for canola oil attributes. Aligned with descriptive results, 46.7% of the respondents reported that they were optimistic about new technology applied to food products. While a significant portion of the respondents (42.8%) indicated that they might gain benefits at the same level as risks, there were a slightly larger proportion of the respondents who feared they might be exposed to more risks than benefits through nanofoods. Further analysis included respondents’ attitudes and opinions as well as their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics toward the goal of understanding the underlying behavior difference. Findings from this study will help bridge the gap between scientific innovation and public policy and social-economic concerns. Implications for government policy that can be efficiently used to monitor and regulate these technologies were also investigated.

The marine ecosystems are fundamental for human welfare. A number of current environmental pressures need attention, and the formulation of management strategies requires information from a variety of analytical dimensions. The linkage between environmental change and resulting implications for human welfare is one such dimension. This thesis presents studies on welfare implications from hypothetical future policies which improve the state of the marine environment. The method for these studies is economic valuation. The studied scenarios concern eutrophication in the Baltic Sea (including the Kattegat) and oil spill risk from shipping in the Lofoten-Vesterålen area in the Arctic Barents Sea. The thesis shows that the economic benefits from undertaking policies to improve or protect the marine environment in these cases are substantial and exceed the costs of taking measures. In addition to providing new monetary estimates, the thesis also provides new insights concerning 1) what type of scenario to use when valuing an environmental improvement and 2) whether there may exist trade-offs between precision in estimates and the level of ambition with respect to survey instrument complexity and econometric models when conducting valuation studies. The findings suggest an end of an era for studies in which the environmental change is unspecified or based on a single environmental indicator while the actual consequences of the suggested measures are more multifaceted. In contrast, relevant scenarios to study are well-specified and holistic. The thesis further reveals that it might not always be worth the effort to go for the most advanced scenario presentation or statistically best-fitting model specifications. This is something that needs to be further discussed among practitioners in order to allocate valuation resources wisely and not waste resources on unnecessarily elegant valuation studies. / <p>QC 20161011</p>

Being one of the specially protected areas declared by General Directorate of Natural Assets Protection, G&ouml / cek Bay is threatened by increasing boat tourism and insufficient legal practices. Large scale measures are being planned for decreasing the pollution and protecting the region. For a sustainable coastal management, technical, social, political and economic tools are needed to be used. For environmental investments, it is necessary that they should be identified in monetary terms. The aim of this study is to determine the benefits and costs of the management alternatives to improve environmental quality in G&ouml / cek Bay to aid decision makers. In the study, the environmental benefits that can be obtained with improved water quality and restated marine ecosystem was calculated using the Choice Experiment Method. Data analyses are made using Multinomial Logit analysis. The results showed that, for improvements in water quality local residents are willing to pay 18 TL/month and tourists are willing to pay 16.6 TL/tour. For improvements in marine life local residents are willing to pay 14.8 TL/month and tourists are willing to pay 11.2 TL/tour. The total value that can be obtained from these stakeholders is calculated as 751,140 TL/year. This amount enables the investments to amortize themselves in 21 years. With this study, it has been seen that the obtained results will pave the way for new policies and measures against the deterioration of the marine environment of G&ouml / cek.