Parasite control is important to horse health and horse owners should feel highly concerned about the proper treatment of parasites. In the past 30 years, veterinary science has made important advances in treating parasites and provided new products and strategies to optimize treatment and prevention. However, horse owners and managers have been slow to adopt these new recommendations. This study investigates why the transition has not occurred as expected. It examines issues related to the decision-making process of horse owners and managers as they relate to deworming strategies. In addition, it investigates current deworming approaches as well as attitudes towards alternative parasite control strategies, and tries to describe the financial considerations corresponding to each strategy. To this end, a questionnaire was distributed to Thoroughbred farms in Kentucky. The first part of the questionnaire examined the actual approaches of farm managers and characterized the Kentucky Thoroughbred farms. Most farm managers appear to be concerned about drug resistance in parasites and incorporated veterinarian advice in defining their deworming program; however, almost three-quarters of them were still following the traditional rotational deworming program. Based on a conjoint experiment, we were able to evaluate the willingness-to-pay of farm managers for different attributes of a deworming strategy – time and effort spent, decrease in health risks, drug resistance in parasites, and price. The study showed that farm managers were willing to pay a premium for a strategy that is guaranteed “non-resistant” and that decreased health risk by 5%, while they expected a discount for a strategy that requires much time and effort.

Hawaii’s pristine ocean and tropical environment is a keystone of Hawaii tourism and the state economy. Water pollution from stormwater and development threatens the beach quality to both residents and tourists. In order to understand the lost nonmarket value, we assess changes in quality of beach characteristics including water and sand quality, swimming safety conditions, and congestion using a Discrete Choice Experiment of recreational beach users. Further, we study willingness to pay (WTP) for water management strategies in Hawaii using another discrete choice experiment, including structural and nonstructural Best Management Practices, testing, monitoring, and educational efforts. Using a mixed logit model, beach quality results suggest similar preferences among resident and tourists. Both groups consistently have higher WTP to avoid poor quality levels versus obtaining excellent levels. Additionally, water quality is the single most important attribute. For the policy discrete choice experiment, both parties exhibit similar ranking of WTP to initiate water quality management strategies, with improved testing methods followed by education having the highest WTP. Lastly, we use Benefit-Cost analysis to find that all significant management strategies may be viable, since WTP is greater than the predicted cost of implementation based on expert opinion of Hawaiian policy leaders.

China is the world’s largest pork producer and consumer, and Hubei Province is one of the top pork production provinces in China. Since problems and risks have led to large-scale reduction of pork production and farmers’ income, Chinese government offers various policy measures to help farmers. Breeding sow insurance is considered as one of the most effective measures started in 2007. To better understand farmer’s need for breeding sow insurance and make proper policy insights, our research is the first empirical study in Hubei Province and one of the pioneer studies investigate farmer’s willingness to pay(WTP) for breeding sow insurance premium and preferred coverage level. Survey questionnaires were distributed to breeding sow farmers in 5 townships from Shayang County, Hubei Province. Based on random utility theory, we use tobit model to examine the factors that affect farmer’s WTP and preferred coverage level. The results showed that famers’ average WTP for premium was ¥14.4 and average preferred coverage level was ¥1191, both exceeded current values. Farmers’ trust towards insurance companies, household income, and knowledge about breeding sow insurance significantly affect their WTP and preferred coverage level.

Conventional charcoal and firewood are the main source of energy in Haiti. They provide up to 90% of the country’s energy for domestic and industrial use, resulting in severe environmental and health issues. The present study is initiated to better understand the reasons why two promising alternative technologies (improved cookstoves and alternative charcoal briquettes) have experienced low adoption in Haiti. The research was carried out in two districts in southern Haiti where the improved stoves and briquettes production units exist and where households benefited from a program distributing the improved stoves. This project contributes to the literature by gauging interest in the improved stove and briquettes, as well as their specific characteristics. It helps understand factors that affect the adoption and dis-adoption of the technologies. Additionally, the research measures tangible benefits for households that adopted the improved stoves. The study reveals that the use of the improved stoves lowers fuel expenditures by 14.6 cents/day to 23.6 cents/day. Haitian consumers are interested in both the stove and briquettes, but their willingness-to-pay depends on their personal characteristics such as location and income. The study has revealed two surprising results as well: Unnecessary dis-adoption of the stoves occurs because the two technologies were needlessly marketed together. Despite the target audience, which is poor and rural consumers, the improved stove is perceived as a rich, urban user’s technology.

Syftet med denna studie är att analysera vad det är som påverkar bostadspriserna på Uppsalas bostadsmarknad. Det är spekulanternas önskemål och krav, det vill säga deras betalningsvilja som påverkar priset. Det kan skilja sig mellan olika spekulanter men för det mesta ses ett tydligt mönster. Spekulanter värdesätter t.ex. områden som ligger nära centrum. Detta kan bero på att Uppsala är en studentstad där det är många studenter som rör sig från och till staden varje år. Bekvämlighet och närhet till bland annat universitet väger in mycket. Studiens statistik kommer från en av Uppsalas största mäklarbyråer Widerlöv & Co. Möjligheten att bolla tankar och idéer med några av deras mäklare som har varit aktiva i branschen länge har varit värdefull. / The purpose of this study is to get an overview of what it is that affects housing prices at Uppsala's housing market. My conclusion is that speculator´s willingness to pay is effected by their wishes and demands. Speculator´s appreciate the areas close to the city center. This may be due to Uppsala is a university town where there are many students who are moving from and to the city every year. For example convenience and proximity to university is often a high wish. I had access to statistics from one of the Uppsala´s largest real estate agency Widerlöv & Co. I also had the opportunity to discuss ideas with some of their brokers who have been active in the industry for a long time.

Bakgrund: Idag råder det stor brist av hyresrätter i samhället. Detta medför att unga har svårt att flytta hemifrån och att personer med begränsat kapital har svårt att skaffa en bostad. Syfte: Syftet med arbetet är att undersöka vad kommunala och privata fastighetsbolag grundar investeringsbeslut på. Tillsammans med befintlig teori ska en generell kalkyl skapas som fastighetsbolag kan använda vid nybyggnation av hyresrätter. Metod: Studien har genomförts genom att en abduktiv metod har tillämpats där studien börjat med insamling av teori. Vidare har fem stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts för att samla in empiriskt material och sedan utvärdera om ytterligare komplettering av teori behövs. Slutsats: De undersöka bolagen använder idag olika bedömningsmetoder vid nybyggnation av hyresrätter. Förslaget som presenteras är att fastighetsbolag ska använda nuvärdesmetoden, en kompletterande kassaflödesanalys och Pay-off metoden vid mindre investeringar.

The aim of this study is to quantify the social cost of air pollution in Bophelong Township. Bophelong is a dominantly Black low-income settlement located on the South-western part of the Emfuleni Local Municipality in the Vaal Triangle. In 2006 the Vaal Triangle was the first region in the country to be declared an Airshed Priority Area in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (39/2004). Economic literature reveals that there is a strong positive correlation between poverty and pollution. It is on this basis that the study provides a theoretical background to poverty and pollution. The study makes use of a Contingent valuation method to elicit respondents‘ maximum willingness to pay for the reduction of air-pollution in the area. The survey questionnaire covers three broad socio-economic categories namely, the demographic profile, labour force profile and the residents‘ attitudes towards environmental issues. The valuation part of the questionnaire makes use of an open-ended questionnaire to elicit the respondents‘ maximum willingness to pay for the reduction of air pollution in Bophelong. The mean willingness to pay for the reduction of air-pollution in Bophelong is estimated at R132 per annum. The annual social cost of air-pollution in Bophelong is calculated by multiplying the mean willingness to pay with the estimated total population. Bophelong‘s total population was estimated at 49 408. The annual social cost of pollution is thus estimated at R6 521 856. The regression analysis shows that several factors positively influence respondents‘ willingness to pay. The analysis shows that education, employment and level of income are positively correlated with the respondents‘ willingness to pay. This study indicates that there is a positive correlation between poverty and pollution. Most of the air pollution that affects the population of Bophelong is generated from domestic sources such as the burning of coal and biomass fuels for VALUING THE SOCIAL COST OF AIR-POLLUTION IN BOPHELONG TOWNSHIP heating and cooking purposes. In order to eliminate the negative impacts of air pollution on the residents of Bophelong the study recommends that authorities must begin by ameliorating the poverty situation in the area. On the main authorities must introduce measures that target domestic sources of pollution. Some of the measures that could be undertaken to reduce the impact of pollution could include: (a) encouraging residents to adopt the more cleaner top-down coal ignition method known as Basa-njengo-Magogo, (b) providing free basic electricity to poor households in the area and (c) ensuring that houses are constructed with thermal comfort in mind, as this will minimise the need for space heating particularly during winter months. / PhD (Economics), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

Värderingar är ett centralt begrepp inom psykologin och handlar om vad man anser vara viktigt i livet. Tidigare forskning har fokuserat på hur värderingar påverkar människors vilja att betala mer för livsmedel som har miljö- eller social produktmärkning. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka värderingar och viljan att betala extra för en mobiltelefon med miljö- eller social produktmärkning hos personer i Uddevalla, Vänersborg och Trollhättan. Resultaten påvisade att de deltagare som var villiga att betala extra för mobiltelefoner med social produktmärkning lade störst vikt vid värderingen solidaritet och de deltagare som var villiga att betala extra för mobiltelefoner med miljömärkning lade störst vikt vid välvilja. Detta resultat ligger i linje med tidigare forskning. I studien deltog 79 slumpmässigt utvalda män och kvinnor mellan 18 och 64 år. Studien var kvantitativ och använde sig bland annat av Schwartz Portrait Values som mätinstrument / Personal values are an important part of psychology and concerns what people consider to be of importance in their lives. Recent studies have focused on the effect personal values have on people’s willingness to pay when it comes to fair trade and eco-labelled food. The purpose of this study was to examine personal values linked to willingness to pay when it comes to a fairtrade or eco-labelled mobile phone, regarding people who live in three closely situated towns in western Sweden. The participants in this study were 79 men and women in the ages 18 – 64. This was a quantitative study and one of the instruments used were Schwartz Portrait Values. The results show that people who found the values benevolence and univeralism to be most important where those who were willing to pay more for these kind of mobile phones. The result is consistent with earlier studies

Chief Executive Officers (CEO) remuneration has been a hot topic the last couple of years and has brought a great amount of attention in the media, when some companies have increased the CEO’s compensation even though the firm have been reporting lower earnings. Bonus systems have recently become more frequent to increase CEOs incentives, but have also been a disputed subject since the financial crisis in 2008. The aim of this thesis is to study the relation between CEO compensation and companies’ size as well as performance. The study extends over a four-year period, from 2007 to 2010, comprising the companies within the finance and real estate industry listed under large-, mid and small cap on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm. A four-year period from 2000 to 2003 and a  three-year period after the financial crisis from 2011 to 2013 is analyzed and taken into account in the study to get a deeper understanding of how the compensation has varied over time. The study takes a quantitative approach using secondary data from the companies’ annual reports. A pooled regression analysis is used as the statistical method where we are able to take multiple companies into account over several periods. The empirical results find that there is no significant relation between CEO compensation and firm performance. The study does however show a strong positive relation with market capitalization, suggesting that the companies’ size have a great effect on the CEO compensation.

The research presented in this thesis focuses on determining the value of irrigation water in southern Alberta. Utilizing a stated preference method, the research represents a successful attempt at applying contingent behavior scenarios to estimate irrigation water supply and demand, and thus irrigators willingness to pay/accept (WTP/WTA) for water through a hypothetical water market during droughts. The research also aims to assess the effectiveness of water markets in conserving water and promoting water productivity and efficiency. The findings reveal that irrigators WTP during droughts is within the range of $1.22-4.90/acre-inch ($0.012-$0.048/m3), varying over various levels of water scarcity. It is found that the presence of water markets plays a crucial role in water reallocation and improves water productivity and efficiency, the extent of which depends on how active are water markets. / Agricultural and Resource Economics