Protected areas and economic welfare: an impact evaluation of national parks on local workers' wages in Costa Rica

AbstractThe number of protected areas around the world has significantly increased. However, the effects of this policy on the wellbeing of local households are still under debate. Using pre-treatment characteristics and household surveys with highly disaggregated geographic reference, we explore how national parks affect the wages of local workers in Costa Rica. We use matching techniques to control for the endogenous location of parks. We find that parks' effects on wages are, on average, positive and significant, but the magnitudes vary. Wages close to parks are higher for local workers living near tourist entrances. However, there is no robust evidence of positive effects for those close to parks but far away from tourist entrances. With our individual-level data, we also show that the positive effects on local households might not be as large as suggested by previous studies that use aggregated level data containing both local and immigrant households.

Download Full-text

Integrating impact evaluation in the design and implementation of monitoring marine protected areas

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2014.0275 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 370 (1681) ◽

pp. 20140275 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Gabby N. Ahmadia ◽

Louise Glew ◽

Mikaela Provost ◽

David Gill ◽

Nur Ismu Hidayat ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Marine Protected Areas ◽

Impact Evaluation ◽

Monitoring Programme ◽

Positive Outcomes ◽

Design And Implementation ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Evaluation Approaches ◽

Matching Techniques ◽

Conservation Interventions

Quasi-experimental impact evaluation approaches, which enable scholars to disentangle effects of conservation interventions from broader changes in the environment, are gaining momentum in the conservation sector. However, rigorous impact evaluation using statistical matching techniques to estimate the counterfactual have yet to be applied to marine protected areas (MPAs). While there are numerous studies investigating ‘impacts’ of MPAs that have generated considerable insights, results are variable. This variation has been linked to the biophysical and social context in which they are established, as well as attributes of management and governance. To inform decisions about MPA placement, design and implementation, we need to expand our understanding of conditions under which MPAs are likely to lead to positive outcomes by embracing advances in impact evaluation methodologies. Here, we describe the integration of impact evaluation within an MPA network monitoring programme in the Bird's Head Seascape, Indonesia. Specifically we (i) highlight the challenges of implementation ‘on the ground’ and in marine ecosystems and (ii) describe the transformation of an existing monitoring programme into a design appropriate for impact evaluation. This study offers one potential model for mainstreaming impact evaluation in the conservation sector.

Download Full-text

Managing wildlife successfully in Zimbabwe

Oryx ◽

10.1017/s0030605300021098 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 171-177 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Graham Child

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

National Parks ◽

Wildlife Management ◽

Wildlife Conservation ◽

New Approach ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Life Management ◽

The People ◽

History Of ◽

Wild Life

Zimbabwe's approach to wildlife conservation started to change radically just over 30 years ago. Recognition of the fact that wildlife will only survive outside protected areas if the people who share the habitat are given responsibility for and derive benefits from wildlife has had positive effects for the conservation of the macrofauna. The author, the country's former Director of National Parks and Wild Life Management, describes the history of wildlife management in Zimbabwe and how the new approach is working.

Download Full-text

Fiscal rules and electoral turnout

Political Science Research and Methods ◽

10.1017/psrm.2019.27 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lasse Aaskoven

Keyword(s):

Fiscal Rules ◽

Institutional Factors ◽

Depressing Effect ◽

Individual Level ◽

Level Data ◽

Large Panel ◽

Electoral Turnout ◽

Rules Set ◽

Robust Evidence ◽

European Individual

AbstractA growing literature has argued that electoral turnout decreases the more government policy constrained by economic and institutional factors. This paper investigates whether a certain type of policy constraint, fiscal rules, lowers turnout. Since fiscal rules set limits for government fiscal policy, they should lower the incentive for citizens to participate electorally. However, using parliamentary turnout data in a large panel of democratic countries, little robust evidence is found in favor of fiscal rules having a depressing effect on electoral turnout. Analysis of European individual-level data also suggests that national fiscal rules do not affect inequality in electoral turnout between income groups either. Difference-in-discontinuity evidence from Italian municipalities further suggests that the results are causally identified.

Download Full-text

Microscopy in Costa Rica

Microscopy Today ◽

10.1017/s1551929500053839 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 44-45

Author(s):

Alwyn Eades

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

United States ◽

Costa Rica ◽

Protected Areas ◽

National Parks ◽

Armed Forces ◽

The United States

Costa Rica is amazing. You probably know that Costa Rica has no armed forces and that fully a quarter of its area is given over to national parks and other protected areas. You probably don't know that Costa Rica is also amazing for its electron microscopy. Almost anonymously Costa Rica has a center for electron microscopy on a par with centers in the United States or Europe.El Centro de Investigation en Estructuras Microscopicas, CIEMIC (The Center for Microstructural Research) has its own purpose-built building with an infrastructure that would make most of us envious.

Download Full-text

Do Protected Areas Matter? A Systematic Review of the Social and Ecological Impacts of the Establishment of Protected Areas

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17197259 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (19) ◽

pp. 7259 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ben Ma ◽

Yuqian Zhang ◽

Yilei Hou ◽

Yali Wen

Keyword(s):

Panel Data ◽

Protected Areas ◽

National Parks ◽

Poverty Reduction ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Ecological Impacts ◽

Multiple Perspectives ◽

High Impact Journal ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Data Matching

There is growing interest in evaluating the effects of establishing protected areas (PAs). However, the mechanisms through which the establishment of PAs achieved significant positive effects remain unclear, and how different conservation mechanisms have achieved significant positive social and ecological benefits has also not been sufficiently studied. In this study, we systematically reviewed exemplary cases from Asia, Africa, and South America, using panel data to assess the conservation effectiveness of nature reserves and national parks. By surveying 629 literature samples reported in 31 studies, we found that the establishment of PAs has positive influences on poverty reduction, family incomes, household expenditure, employment, forest cover, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and a reduction in forest fragmentation. Furthermore, we analyzed the specific aspects that influence the publication of a paper in a high-impact journal. We found that publication is more likely when the research uses panel data, matching methods of data analysis, large samples, and plots or PAs as research units and has significant evaluation results. Our results suggest that future studies should use panel data and matching method analysis to assess the impacts of PAs from multiple perspectives and focus on the effectiveness of specific conservation mechanisms in achieving positive effects.

Download Full-text

Conserving Biólogical Diversity in tbe Tropics: Tbe Role ofPrivate Nature Reserves in Costa Rica

Revista de Biología Tropical ◽

10.15517/rbt.v46i2.19426 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 183-190

Author(s):

Patrick Herzog ◽

Christopher Vaughan

Keyword(s):

Costa Rica ◽

Protected Areas ◽

National Parks ◽

Biological Diversity ◽

Nature Reserves ◽

Government Control ◽

Forest Reserves ◽

Wildlife Refuges

Conservation efforts to preserve biological diversity are often focused on the establishment of protected areas such as national parks, wildlife refuges and forest reserves (McNeely et al. 1990, WRI, mCN, UNEP 1992) under government control.

Download Full-text

Islam and Female Education: Evidence from Individual-level Data

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.366340 ◽

2003 ◽

Author(s):

Mandana Hajj ◽

Ugo G. Panizza

Keyword(s):

Female Education ◽

Individual Level ◽

Level Data

Download Full-text

Review of Associations between Built Environment Characteristics and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection Risk

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18147561 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (14) ◽

pp. 7561

Author(s):

Jingjing Wang ◽

Xueying Wu ◽

Ruoyu Wang ◽

Dongsheng He ◽

Dongying Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Built Environment ◽

Longitudinal Research ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Infection Risk ◽

Design Guidelines ◽

Individual Level ◽

Transit Accessibility ◽

Level Data ◽

Transmission Pathways

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has stimulated intensive research interest in its transmission pathways and infection factors, e.g., socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, climatology, baseline health conditions or pre-existing diseases, and government policies. Meanwhile, some empirical studies suggested that built environment attributes may be associated with the transmission mechanism and infection risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, no review has been conducted to explore the effect of built environment characteristics on the infection risk. This research gap prevents government officials and urban planners from creating effective urban design guidelines to contain SARS-CoV-2 infections and face future pandemic challenges. This review summarizes evidence from 25 empirical studies and provides an overview of the effect of built environment on SARS-CoV-2 infection risk. Virus infection risk was positively associated with the density of commercial facilities, roads, and schools and with public transit accessibility, whereas it was negatively associated with the availability of green spaces. This review recommends several directions for future studies, namely using longitudinal research design and individual-level data, considering multilevel factors and extending to diversified geographic areas.

Download Full-text

The Role of Snack Choices, Body Weight Stereotypes and Smoking Behavior in Assessing Risk Factors for Adolescent Overweight and Obesity

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods10030557 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 557

Author(s):

Elena Raptou

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Smoking Behavior ◽

Negative Influence ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Individual Level ◽

Level Data ◽

Prevention Interventions ◽

Frequent Consumption ◽

Adolescent Overweight ◽

Relationship Of

This study investigated the relationship of behavioral factors, such as snack choices, obesity stereotypes and smoking with adolescents’ body weight. Individual-level data for 1254 Greek youths were selected via a formal questionnaire. Snack choices seem to be gender specific with girls showing a stronger preference for healthier snacks. Frequent consumption of high-calorie and more filling snacks was found to increase Body Mass Index (BMI) in both genders. Fruit/vegetable snacks were associated with lower body weight in females, whereas cereal/nut snacks had a negative influence in males’ BMI. The majority of participants expressed anti-fat attitudes and more boys than girls assigned positive attributes to lean peers. The endorsement of the thin-ideal was positively associated with the BMI of both adolescent boys and girls. This study also revealed that neglecting potential endogeneity issues can lead to biased estimates of smoking. Gender may be a crucial moderator of smoking–BMI relationships. Male smokers presented a higher obesity risk, whereas female smokers were more likely to be underweight. Nutrition professionals should pay attention to increase the acceptance of healthy snack options. Gender differences in the influence of weight stereotypes and smoking on BMI should be considered in order to enhance the efficacy of obesity prevention interventions.

Download Full-text