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Valuing water quality improvement in China: A case study of Lake Puzhehei in Yunnan Province

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  • Wang, Hua
  • Shi, Yuyan
  • Kim, Yoonhee
  • Kamata, Takuya

Abstract

Even though surface water has been polluted almost everywhere in China, few economic valuation studies have been conducted to value water quality changes. This paper reports an economic valuation study conducted in Yunnan, China, which estimates the total value of a real investment project to improve the water quality of Lake Puzhehei by one grade level. Located in Qiubei County far from big cities, the lake has been experiencing rapid water quality deterioration in past several years. Based on the multiple bounded discrete choice approach, an average household in Qiubei County is estimated to be willing to pay 30 yuan per month continuously for 5years for the water quality improvement by one grade level, roughly equivalent to 3% of the average household income. The elasticity of willingness-to-pay with respect to income is estimated to be 0.21. The economic rate of return of the proposed project is estimated to be 18%, indicating an economically favorable investment in water quality improvement. This study also demonstrates that the previous knowledge about the water quality changes and about the project can have significant positive impacts on people's willingness to pay, whereas the interviewer effect on valuation can be negative.

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  • Wang, Hua & Shi, Yuyan & Kim, Yoonhee & Kamata, Takuya, 2013. "Valuing water quality improvement in China: A case study of Lake Puzhehei in Yunnan Province," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 56-65.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:94:y:2013:i:c:p:56-65
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2013.07.006
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    Cited by:

    1. Hua Wang & Jie He & Desheng Huang, 2018. "Valuation Biases Caused by Public Distrust: Identification and Calibration with Contingent Valuation Studies of Two Air Quality Improvement Programs in China," Cahiers de recherche 18-05, Departement d'économique de l'École de gestion à l'Université de Sherbrooke.
    2. Moritz A. Drupp, 2018. "Limits to Substitution Between Ecosystem Services and Manufactured Goods and Implications for Social Discounting," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 69(1), pages 135-158, January.
    3. Stefan Baumgärtner & Alexandra Klein & Denise Thiel & Klara Winkler, 2015. "Ramsey Discounting of Ecosystem Services," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 61(2), pages 273-296, June.
    4. Mueller, Hannah & Hamilton, David P. & Doole, Graeme J., 2016. "Evaluating services and damage costs of degradation of a major lake ecosystem," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 22(PB), pages 370-380.
    5. Zhang, Xin & Zhang, Xiaobo & Chen, Xi, 2017. "Valuing Air Quality Using Happiness Data: The Case of China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 29-36.
    6. Pan, Yuan & Marshall, Stuart & Maltby, Lorraine, 2016. "Prioritising ecosystem services in Chinese rural and urban communities," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 21(PA), pages 1-5.
    7. Jian Chang & Wanhua Li & Yaodong Zhou & Peng Zhang & Hengxin Zhang, 2022. "Impact of Public Service Quality on the Efficiency of the Water Industry: Evidence from 147 Cities in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-17, November.
    8. Ahlheim, Michael & Börger, Tobias & Frör, Oliver, 2012. "The ecological price of getting rich in a green desert: A contingent valuation study in rural Southwest China," FZID Discussion Papers 55-2012, University of Hohenheim, Center for Research on Innovation and Services (FZID).
    9. Baumgärtner, Stefan & Drupp, Moritz A. & Meya, Jasper N. & Munz, Jan M. & Quaas, Martin F., 2017. "Income inequality and willingness to pay for environmental public goods," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 35-61.
    10. Dupoux, Marion & Martinet, Vincent, 2022. "Could the environment be a normal good for you and an inferior good for me? A theory of context-dependent substitutability and needs," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    11. Baumgärtner, Stefan & Drupp, Moritz A. & Meya, Jasper N. & Munz, Jan M. & Quaas, Martin F., 2016. "Income inequality and willingness to pay for public environmental goods," Economics Working Papers 2016-04, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Department of Economics.
    12. Wang, Hua & He, Jie & Huang, Desheng, 2020. "Public distrust and valuation biases: Identification and calibration with contingent valuation studies of two air quality improvement programs in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    13. Tavárez, Héctor & Elbakidze, Levan, 2021. "Urban forests valuation and environmental disposition: The case of Puerto Rico," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).

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