A perennial question about the National Flood Insurance Program is: how can participation be increased? An empirical analysis of individual-level data reveals that in a sample of coastal areas the participation rate is 49 percent of eligible properties. Participation responsiveness to price is inelastic, but it has been increased by the mandatory purchase requirements for mortgage borrowers. Easing conditions for participation in the program would probably not reduce flood control measures, such as seawalls, which may degrade beach conditions and coastal ecosystems. Copyright The Journal of Risk and Insurance.
This paper examines the relative economic efficiency ofthree distinct beach erosion management policies ,-beach nourishment with shoreline armoring, beach nourishment wilholll armoring, and shoreline retreat. The analysis focuses on (i} the recreational benefits of beaches, (OJ the property value effects ofbeach management, and (iii) the costs associated with the three managemelll scenarios. Assuming the removal ofshoreline llrmoring improves overall beach quality, beach nourishment with shoreline armoring is the least desirable olthe three alternatives. The countervailing property losses under a retreat strategy are ofthe same order ofmagnitude as the foregone management costs when the beneficial effects of retreat-higher values ofhOllsing sen'ices for those houses not lost to erosion-are considered. The relative desirability of these alternative strategies depends upon the realized erosion rate and holl' manogemelll costs change over time.
This paper explores the use of empirical evidence to determine whether the exposure of minorities to environmental risks constitutes aversive racism. Connections are drawn between definitions of aversive racism and statistical approaches to research into the relationship between race and risk, paying particular attention to the influence of both non-racial discrimination and industrial location factors. Federal judicial and executive remedies to aversive racism are examined in light of the standards of evidence presented. An empirical study of the connection between race and exposure to toxic releases is then presented for Census block groups in Georgia and Ohio. It was found that the significance of race depends on the breadth of the explanatory model used in the analysis. A model of overall exposure to toxic releases shows that race is significant in a narrow model of discrimination but not in a broader model including industrial location factors. However, a model of targeting of minorities in the recent location of toxics-emitting facilities fails to show discrimination in any of the regression analyses.These findings support the view that environmental justice concerns cannot be addressed through reform of siting processes; broader remedies involving more stringent protection of exposure to toxic emissions are more likely to be effective.
FRANK LiCHTKOPPLER1Ohio Sea Grant Program, Ohio State Universi.ty, Columbus Lakeshore erosion, characterized as a reduction in distance between property improvements and the lake, will eventually threaten improvements. An option price model suggests that erosion-prone lakeshore property will be discounted and this discount may be measured by hedonic price analysis.We discuss the conditions that permit benefit estimation from the hedonic regression. Analysis of mail survey returns estimates willingness to pay for erosion protection, as measured by the number of years remaining until property improvements are endangered. INTRODUCTIONLand losses due to erosion of the Great Lakes' shoreline threaten property in every lakeshore state and province. These property losses are characterized by the gradual disappearance of a parcel's setback, i.e., the distance between property improvements and the lake, which if allowed to continue eventually threatens property improvements with collapse into the lake. Shoreline residents voice their concerns to local and state governments, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Whether government should take responsibility in assisting these property owners is controversial. There exist a variety of erosion protection devices forwhich the life expectantics and construction costs can be estimated. However, gaining knowledge of the benefits of erosion protection is more problematic because of (1) private versus social benefits, and (2) a lack of market information.Regarding the first problem, there are two features that limit the divergence of private benefits and social benefits. First, the Corps' construction restrictions on private erosion control devices are intended to minimize externalities. Second, in the Great Lakes no government project for erosion control has been proposed. Therefore, private benefits will be close to social benefits, and a benefit analysis can be limited to private benefits for individual property owners. Regarding the second problem, potential property buyers, real estate appraisers and mortgage lenders need better information on how erosion and erosion protection devices affect property prices. An analysis of market data would be required because these price effects are implicit in the housing market. Thus, the problem addressed by this research is that of 1Also at Lake County Extension Office, Painesville, Ohio. The paper is organized as follows. The geological and engineering aspects of shore erosion are described. Erosion protection is modeled within an option price framework, and we describe the conditions that permit benefits of protection to be calculated directly from the estimated hedonic equation. Data collection in the Ohio portion of Lake Erie is discussed, and estimation of a hedonic regression is reported. Finally, estimates of the benefits from erosion control are discussed. THE SHORE EROSIONPHENOMENON There are four types of shoreline found along the Great Lakes: cliffs, marshes, beaches and bluffs [ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1978]. Cliffs ar...
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.