dc.creator | Byl, Jacob Peter | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2020-08-21T21:25:23Z | |
dc.date.available | 2016-04-08 | |
dc.date.issued | 2015-04-08 | |
dc.identifier.uri | https://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/etd-03232015-105035 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1803/11133 | |
dc.description.abstract | The Endangered Species Act is a strong environmental law that gives federal agencies authority to conserve imperiled species by regulating private and public parties. In this dissertation, I use data on timber harvests near endangered woodpeckers in North Carolina to estimate that landowners are 25% more likely to harvest mature pine trees if there are woodpeckers nearby. A safe-harbor program appears to have a modest effect on slowing the destruction of habitat. I next use a computer-based experiment to confirm that the safe-harbor program is an improvement for both landowners and endangered species over the status quo of strict regulation. A policy with strong financial incentives is most effective at encouraging landowner cooperation, but weak financial incentives are surprisingly ineffective. Finally, I explore the role of cost-benefit analysis of critical habitat designation under the Endangered Species Act. The current agency methodology leads to estimates of low costs and zero benefits of critical habitat. I argue that agencies should use a broader concept of costs and benefits because it is a better reading of the Act and can lead to more effective regulations. | |
dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
dc.subject | Conservation | |
dc.subject | Endangered Species | |
dc.subject | Experiment | |
dc.subject | Environmental Markets | |
dc.title | Toward More Effective Endangered Species Regulation | |
dc.type | dissertation | |
dc.contributor.committeeMember | W. Kip Viscusi | |
dc.contributor.committeeMember | Cindy D. Kam | |
dc.contributor.committeeMember | Kathryn Anderson | |
dc.type.material | text | |
thesis.degree.name | PHD | |
thesis.degree.level | dissertation | |
thesis.degree.discipline | Law and Economics | |
thesis.degree.grantor | Vanderbilt University | |
local.embargo.terms | 2016-04-08 | |
local.embargo.lift | 2016-04-08 | |
dc.contributor.committeeChair | J.B. Ruhl | |