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SFB 564: F1.3 - Economic valuation of environmental improvements in Northern Thailand and Vietnam
Project
Project code: keine Angaben
Contract period: 01.01.2000
- 01.01.2009
Purpose of research: Basic research
In the second phase the empirical aim of subproject F1.2 in Thailand was to assess the social benefits arising from environmental improvements in the uplands of the Mae Sa water catchment in northern Thailand which might lead to a melioration of tap water quality for the downstream suburban population of Mae Rim. For this purpose the possibilities of using the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) for economic valuation studies in Thailand were analyzed. The methodological aim was to develop less costly CVM assessment procedures by integrating participatory approaches into standard CVM. The idea was to optimize the CVM mail survey technique such that it can substitute face-to-face surveys which are generally held to be reliable but very expensive. It was intended to improve the design of CVM questionnaires by feeding in insights gained from the participation sessions with groups so that the difference between the results of a face-to-face survey and a mail survey would diminish to a negligible degree so that it does not matter which type of survey one uses. This aim was achieved by a combination of thorough pretesting and a series of participatory group meetings with respondents from a preceding mail survey. Furthermore, it was found that the widely used dichotomous choice elicitation question format is inferior to the payment card format.
The institutional component of F 1.2 in Thailand identified the complexity of water rights (control, ownership and use) and their interaction with land and forest rights and, together with the NRCT-funded component, designed a balanced policy mix of rights-based and value-based measures that can help to reduce water conflicts and to internalize externalities of excessive and inappropriate water use.
In Vietnam, F 1.2 identified widespread uncertainties and institutional constraints in adopting prevailing common property systems to the new land allocation process. It also helped to clarify different forms of water and pasture tenure and management systems.
In systematizing different forms of tenure and in outlining the heterogeneity and complexity of tenure systems a key conclusion of F 1.2 is that within this framework village/commune specific studies are necessary for designing appropriate interventions and policies.
Research in the third phase follows two main objectives: the empirical objective is the assessment of the social benefits accruing from a flood control program in the uplands to the population of the city of Chiang Mai. Since current upland farming techniques result in high surface runoffs and, therefore, increase the frequency of flooding of the river Ping area, a CVM study with the population of Chiang Mai will be conducted in order to value the benefits from alternative farming techniques leading to water and soil conservation and, therefore, to less frequent flooding. In the light of the proposed scenario there is quite a number of methodological and theoretical objectives that are pursued by the research project according to the following guidelines: (1) to test the validity of the methodological results of F1.2 by applying them in a broader socio-economic context, and (2) to develop standardized procedures for the development of CVM scenarios and survey designs which are suitable for environmental valuation using the cost-saving mail survey approach without loss of reliability. In Vietnam a CVM study will be conducted aiming at an adaptation of CVM to the specific socio-economic and cultural background of a post-socialist society in transition to market economy.
Section overview
Subjects
- Agricultural Policy
- Market Analysis/Marketing Strategy
- Agricultural Sociology
Collaborative Project
Funding programme
Excutive institution
Economics, esp. Environmental Economics and Regulatory Policy (520F)
