IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ags/aaea16/237333.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Voluntary programs to encourage compliance with refuge regulations for pesticide resistance management: results from a quasi-experiment

Author

Listed:
  • Brown, Zachary

Abstract

Pesticide resistance can be viewed as an open-access resource problem. While traditional economic incentives are the standard prescription for this market failure, non-pecuniary behavioral approaches have also shown promise in managing these resources. I empirically evaluate the performance of an intervention in the latter class of instruments to promote compliance with refuge regulations in the context of genetically engineered Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn. Refuge regulations are important policies for reducing the risk of Bt resistance. To encourage refuge compliance, the agricultural company Monsanto piloted a behavioral intervention in 17 North Carolina counties in 2013/2014. Using seed sales data, I estimate econometric models combining difference-in-differences with propensity-score-matching (PSM) to identify the effect of the program on grower behavior and overall refuge planting. A simple difference-in-differences (DID) estimator implies the program increased the share of refuge (non-Bt) seed sales sold to the average grower by 2.9%, whereas the DID-PSM estimator implies an effect of 5.6%. Non-pecuniary behavioral instruments deserve further consideration as a means of managing Bt resistance.

Suggested Citation

  • Brown, Zachary, 2016. "Voluntary programs to encourage compliance with refuge regulations for pesticide resistance management: results from a quasi-experiment," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 237333, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aaea16:237333
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.237333
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/237333/files/AAEA2016_SLLpaper.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22004/ag.econ.237333?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Grimsrud, Kristine M. & Huffaker, Ray, 2006. "Solving multidimensional bioeconomic problems with singular-perturbation reduction methods: Application to managing pest resistance to pesticidal crops," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 336-353, May.
    2. Alberto Abadie & Guido W. Imbens, 2016. "Matching on the Estimated Propensity Score," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 84, pages 781-807, March.
    3. Alberto Abadie & David Drukker & Jane Leber Herr & Guido W. Imbens, 2004. "Implementing matching estimators for average treatment effects in Stata," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 4(3), pages 290-311, September.
    4. Daniel A. Brent & Joseph H. Cook & Skylar Olsen, 2015. "Social Comparisons, Household Water Use, and Participation in Utility Conservation Programs: Evidence from Three Randomized Trials," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 2(4), pages 597-627.
    5. Ramanan Laxminarayan & R. Simpson, 2002. "Refuge Strategies for Managing Pest Resistance in Transgenic Agriculture," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 22(4), pages 521-536, August.
    6. Allcott, Hunt, 2011. "Social norms and energy conservation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(9-10), pages 1082-1095, October.
    7. Benno Torgler, 2004. "Moral suasion: An alternative tax policy strategy? Evidence from a controlled field experiment in Switzerland," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 5(3), pages 235-253, November.
    8. G. C. van Kooten & Andrew Schmitz, 1992. "Preserving Waterfowl Habitat on the Canadian Prairies: Economic Incentives versus Moral Suasion," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 74(1), pages 79-89.
    9. Allcott, Hunt, 2011. "Social norms and energy conservation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(9), pages 1082-1095.
    10. Paul J. Ferraro & Michael K. Price, 2013. "Using Nonpecuniary Strategies to Influence Behavior: Evidence from a Large-Scale Field Experiment," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 95(1), pages 64-73, March.
    11. Miranowski, John & Carlson, G., 1986. "Economic Issues in Public and Private Approaches to Preserving Pest Susceptibility," Staff General Research Papers Archive 10726, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    12. Michael J. Livingston & Gerald A. Carlson & Paul L. Fackler, 2004. "Managing Resistance Evolution in Two Pests to Two Toxins with Refugia," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 86(1), pages 1-13.
    13. Fernandez-Cornejo, Jorge & Wechsler, Seth James, 2012. "Revisiting the Impact of Bt Corn Adoption by U.S. Farmers," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association, vol. 41(3), pages 1-14, December.
    14. Alberto Abadie & Guido W. Imbens, 2006. "Large Sample Properties of Matching Estimators for Average Treatment Effects," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 74(1), pages 235-267, January.
    15. Benno Torgler, 2004. "Moral Suasion: An alternative tax policy strategy? Evidence from a controlled field experiment in Switzerland," CREMA Working Paper Series 2004-01, Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA).
    16. Stefan Ambec & Marion Desquilbet, 2012. "Regulation of a Spatial Externality: Refuges versus Tax for Managing Pest Resistance," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 51(1), pages 79-104, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Brent, Daniel A. & Ward, Michael B., 2019. "Price perceptions in water demand," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    2. Brent, Daniel A. & Friesen, Lana & Gangadharan, Lata & Leibbrandt, Andreas, 2017. "Behavioral Insights from Field Experiments in Environmental Economics," International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, now publishers, vol. 10(2), pages 95-143, May.
    3. Céline Nauges & Dale Whittington, 2019. "Social Norms Information Treatments in the Municipal Water Supply Sector: Some New Insights on Benefits and Costs," Water Economics and Policy (WEP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 5(03), pages 1-40, July.
    4. Cattaneo, Cristina & D’Adda, Giovanna & Tavoni, Massimo & Bonan, Jacopo, 2019. "Can We Make Social Information Programs More Effective? The Role of Identity and Values," RFF Working Paper Series 19-21, Resources for the Future.
    5. Holladay, Scott & LaRiviere, Jacob & Novgorodsky, David & Price, Michael, 2019. "Prices versus nudges: What matters for search versus purchase of energy investments?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 151-173.
    6. Daniel A. Brent & Corey Lott & Michael Taylor & Joseph Cook & Kimberly Rollins & Shawn Stoddard, 2020. "What Causes Heterogeneous Responses to Social Comparison Messages for Water Conservation?," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 77(3), pages 503-537, November.
    7. James Alm & Lilith Burgstaller & Arrita Domi & Amanda März & Matthias Kasper, 2023. "Nudges, Boosts, and Sludge: Using New Behavioral Approaches to Improve Tax Compliance," Economies, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-22, September.
    8. Assefa, Thomas W. & Magnan, Nicholas & McCullough, Ellen & McGavock, Tamara, 2022. "Stifled by Stigma? Experimental Effects of Updating Husbands’ Beliefs on Participation in Women’s Household Work," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322470, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    9. John A. List & Robert D. Metcalfe & Michael K. Price & Florian Rundhammer, 2017. "Harnessing Policy Complementarities to Conserve Energy: Evidence from a Natural Field Experiment," NBER Working Papers 23355, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Lurbe, Salvador & Burkhardt, Jesse & Goemans, Christopher & Manning, Dale, 2018. "Social Comparisons Versus Information Provision in Residential Water Consumption: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 274131, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    11. Desquilbet, Marion & Hermann, Markus, 2012. "An assessment of bioeconomic modeling of pest resistance with new insights into dynamic refuge fields," TSE Working Papers 12-263, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    12. Wichman, Casey J. & Taylor, Laura O. & von Haefen, Roger H., 2016. "Conservation policies: Who responds to price and who responds to prescription?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 114-134.
    13. Goette, Lorenz & Tiefenbeck, Verena & Degen, Kathrin & Fleisch, Elgar & Tasic, Vojkan & Lalive, Rafael & Staake, Thorsten, 2016. "Overcoming Salience Bias: How Real-Time Feedback Fosters Resource Conservation," CEPR Discussion Papers 11480, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    14. Wang, Jingjing & Chermak, Janie M., 2021. "Is less always more? Conservation, efficiency and water education programs," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    15. Pratt, Bryan, 2023. "A fine is more than a price: Evidence from drought restrictions," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    16. Benjamin Ouvrard & Raphaële Préget & Arnaud Reynaud & Laetitia Tuffery, 2020. "Nudging and Subsidizing Farmers to Foster Smart Water Meter Adoption," Working Papers hal-02958784, HAL.
    17. Andor, Mark Andreas & Götte, Lorenz & Price, Michael Keith & Schulze Tilling, Anna & Tomberg, Lukas, 2023. "Differences in how and why social comparisons and real-time feedback impact resource use: Evidence from a field experiment," Ruhr Economic Papers 1059, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    18. Sinning, Mathias & Zhang, Yinjunjie, 2023. "Social norms or enforcement? A natural field experiment to improve traffic and parking fine compliance," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 43-60.
    19. Tonke, Sebastian, 2020. "Imperfect Procedural Knowledge: Evidence from a Field Experiment to Encourage Water Conservation," VfS Annual Conference 2020 (Virtual Conference): Gender Economics 224536, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    20. John A. List & James J. Murphy & Michael K. Price & Alexander G. James, 2019. "Do Appeals to Donor Benefits Raise More Money than Appeals to Recipient Benefits? Evidence from a Natural Field Experiment with Pick.Click.Give," NBER Working Papers 26559, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ags:aaea16:237333. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: AgEcon Search (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/aaeaaea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.