Three Essays on Meta-Analysis, Benefit Transfer, and Recreation Use Valuation
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AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF Arvin B. Vista for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Forest Resources presented on June 10, 2010. Title: Three Essays on Meta-Analysis, Benefit Transfer, and Recreation Use Valuation. Abstract approved: _____________________________________________________________________ Randall S. Rosenberger This dissertation consists of three essays on meta-analysis, benefit transfer and recreation use valuation. The first two essays were based on the sportsfishing valuation literature in the US and Canada while the third essay was based on a study site in the Philippines and selected study sites from the US. The first essay evaluates the aggregation structure of primary research studies and its implications for benefit transfer using meta-regression analysis. Results indicate that single-site and regional studies should not be pooled without accounting for their differences in a meta- analysis. The second essay examines the implications of addressing dependency in the sportsfishing valuation literature using meta-regression analysis. Results indicate that median absolute percentage transfer error is lower for the meta-regression models based on a single value, i.e. average-set and best-set metadata than the meta-regression models based on all-set. The average-set and best-set are two treatments of the metadata for avoiding dependency. The third essay applies the methodological treatments learned from the first two essays to estimate the recreational value via benefit transfer of Taal Volcano Protected Landscape in the Philippines. Results show that single point estimate transfer worked better than the meta-regression benefit function transfer. Recommendations based from the three essays include: 1) the need to account for aggregation differences among primary studies to minimize biased value estimates in benefit transfer depending on policy settings; 2) the importance to correct for dependency and other methodological pitfalls in meta-regression is always warranted; 3) metadata sample selection is best guided by the goals of the meta- analysis and perceived allowable errors in benefit transfer applications; and 4) the conduct of primary study is still the first best strategy to recreation use valuation, given time and resources. ©Copyright by Arvin B. Vista June 10, 2010 All Rights Reserved Three Essays on Meta-Analysis, Benefit Transfer, and Recreation Use Valuation by Arvin B. Vista A DISSERTATION submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Presented June 10, 2010 Commencement June 2011 Doctor of Philosophy dissertation of Arvin B.Vista presented on June 10, 2010 . APPROVED: _____________________________________________________________________ Major Professor, representing Forest Resources _____________________________________________________________________ Head of the Department of Forest Engineering, Resources and Management _____________________________________________________________________ Dean of the Graduate School I understand that my dissertation will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University libraries. My signature below authorizes release of my dissertation to any reader upon request. _____________________________________________________________________ Arvin B. Vista, Author ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to many people for making this dissertation possible and successful. First, I want to thank my major professor and mentor Randall Rosenberger for his guidance, advice and assistance in many forms throughout my PhD studies. Also, I would like to thank William Jaeger, Jeff Kline, Kreg Lindberg, and Steven Radosevich, for providing valuable comments and serving as my PhD committee. Second, I would like to thank Lisa Ganio, Manuela Huso, and Robert Johnston for their statistical advice and assistance in estimating the models using jackknife data splitting technique. Funding for my research was supported in part by US EPA STAR grant #RD-832-421-01 to Oregon State University (Randall Rosenberger as PI). I am also indebted to the following people: members of Knollbrook Christian Reformed Church through the leadership of Pastor Ken Van Shelven for continuous encouragement and prayers; Ipat Luna for providing background information on Taal Volcano Protected Landscape; and my mother-in-law, Loyola Viriña for providing comments on Essay 1 and helping us during her summer 2009 visit at Corvallis, Oregon; Special thanks go to my wife, Loida for her support, patience, and understanding. And to our precious son Joshua Caleb who is our joy and delight. Finally, I exhort my gratitude to our Lord Almighty for daily provisions, strength and grace. His words are constant source of inspiration to make things possible and worth fulfilling. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 1 Economic Valuation: Focus on Recreation ............................................................ 2 Why these values are important and needed? ...................................................... 13 Organization of the Dissertation .......................................................................... 15 Notes .................................................................................................................... 19 References ............................................................................................................ 20 CHAPTER 2 - ESSAY 1 Primary Study Aggregation Effects: Meta-Analysis of Sportfishing Values in North America ................................................................. 22 Abstract ................................................................................................................ 22 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 23 Problem Definition ............................................................................................... 26 Method ................................................................................................................. 29 Model Results and Discussion ............................................................................. 48 Publication Selection Bias .................................................................................... 56 Benefit Transfer Comparison ............................................................................... 56 Conclusions .......................................................................................................... 60 Notes .................................................................................................................... 63 References ............................................................................................................ 64 CHAPTER 3 - ESSAY 2 Addressing Dependency in the Sportsfishing Valuation Literature: Implications for Meta-Regression Analysis and In-Sample Benefit Prediction Performance ........................................................................................ 71 Abstract ................................................................................................................ 71 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 72 Approaches to Multiple Estimates ....................................................................... 74 Data Collection and Coding of Best and Average Estimates ............................... 77 Meta-Regression Model Specifications ............................................................... 85 Model Comparisons ............................................................................................. 86 Meta-Regression Results ...................................................................................... 88 In-Sample Benefit Predictions Results ................................................................. 93 Conclusions .......................................................................................................... 97 Acknowledgments ................................................................................................ 99 Notes .................................................................................................................... 99 References .......................................................................................................... 100 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page CHAPTER 4 - ESSAY 3 The Recreational Value of Taal Volcano Protected Landscape: An Exploratory Benefit Transfer Application ................................. 105 Abstract .............................................................................................................. 105 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 106 The Taal Volcano Protected Landscape ............................................................. 108 Valuation Framework ......................................................................................... 113 Benefit Transfer Techniques .............................................................................. 115 Benefit Transfer Applications to TVPL ............................................................. 124 Discussions, Conclusions, and Policy Implications ........................................... 136 Notes .................................................................................................................