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The economic value of improved air quality in urban Africa: a contingent valuation survey in Douala, Cameroon

Author

Listed:
  • Hermann Pythagore Pierre Donfouet

    (CREM - Centre de recherche en économie et management - UNICAEN - Université de Caen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - UR - Université de Rennes - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Joseph Cook

    (Evans School of Public Affairs - University of Washington)

  • P. Wilner Jeanty

    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research & Hobby Center for the Study of Texas - Rice University [Houston])

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of ‘time to think' and ‘ballot box' on willingness-to-pay, while providing the first empirical evidence on assessing the benefits of an air quality improvement program in urban Africa. Our hypothetical referendum scenario proposes to reduce the air pollution related morbidity rate in Douala, Cameroon by 25 per cent in exchange for a one-time surcharge on the electricity bill of each respondent. We find that on average WTP decreases by nearly one-fourth when allocating respondents time to think but markedly increases when we use a ‘ballot box' approach allowing respondents to state their willingness privately. Our results suggest that on average households are willing to pay US$0.42 per month (0.2 per cent of household annual income). We conclude that total citywide benefits are unlikely to exceed the costs of implementing such a program at this point, although this situation may change quickly with increasing economic growth.

Suggested Citation

  • Hermann Pythagore Pierre Donfouet & Joseph Cook & P. Wilner Jeanty, 2015. "The economic value of improved air quality in urban Africa: a contingent valuation survey in Douala, Cameroon," Post-Print halshs-01245055, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-01245055
    DOI: 10.1017/S1355770X14000552
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    Cited by:

    1. Ga-Eun Kim & Hye-Jeong Lee & Seung-Hoon Yoo, 2018. "Willingness to Pay for Substituting Coal with Natural Gas-Based Combined Heat and Power in South Korea: A View from Air Pollutants Emissions Mitigation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-12, May.
    2. Sokhna Mbathio Diallo & Abdoulaye Seck, 2023. "Air Pollution in Urban Africa: Understanding Attitudes and Economic Valuation in the Case of Dakar, Senegal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-17, January.
    3. Zhihua Xu & Jingzhu Shan, 2018. "The effect of risk perception on willingness to pay for reductions in the health risks posed by particulate matter 2.5: A case study of Beijing, China," Energy & Environment, , vol. 29(8), pages 1319-1337, December.
    4. 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.
    5. Hye-Min Kim & In-Gyum Kim & Byunghwan Lim & Seung-Hoon Yoo, 2021. "Estimating the Economic Value of Improving the Asian Dust Aerosol Model in the Korean Household Sector: A Choice Experiment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-11, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    urban Africa; air quality;

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