Grantee Research Project Results
2002 Progress Report: Socioeconomic and Institutional Research
EPA Grant Number: R828684C004Subproject: this is subproject number 004 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R828684
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: Center for Integrated Multi‐scale Nutrient Pollution Solutions
Center Director: Shortle, James S.
Title: Socioeconomic and Institutional Research
Investigators: Shortle, James S. , Fisher, Ann , O'Connor, Robert E. , McElfish, James M. , Finley, James
Current Investigators: Shortle, James S. , Thornton, Kent
Institution: Pennsylvania State University
Current Institution: Pennsylvania State University , FTN Associates, Ltd
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: March 1, 2001 through February 28, 2005 (Extended to March 15, 2006)
Project Period Covered by this Report: March 1, 2001 through February 28, 2002
RFA: Environmental Indicators in the Estuarine Environment Research Program (2000) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Ecological Indicators/Assessment/Restoration , Water , Aquatic Ecosystems
Objective:
This is one of four projects under the Atlantic Slope Consortium (ASC) center. The goal of this project is to provide scientific results that support the choice and communication of suites of environmental indicators that will be meaningful to and relevant for environmental managers and other intended audiences. Specific objectives are to examine: (1) human perceptual and attitudinal dimensions of the types of indicators that different audiences find useful; (2) risk communication methods for presenting indicator information; (3) institutional and jurisdictional obstacles to indicator use; (4) their value for environmental management; and (5) their relationships to socioeconomic indicators at multiple scales.
Progress Summary:
The Human Dimensions Group's data collection and data analysis activities fell into four areas during the reporting period.
Government Official Interviews. We have conducted interviews with 35 state and 12 federal agency officials who make use of environmental indicators for water quality management. The interviews were designed to gather information about what indicators are being used by water quality managers in the ASC, what these indicators are used for, and attributes of indicators that make them particularly useful. Interviewees were selected to provide a broad representation of state and federal agencies involved in water quality management in the ASC. Agencies and individuals within agencies were selected in consultation with the entire ASC team. ASC collaborators were consulted extensively in the development of the interview protocol. We currently are analyzing the data and soon will have a report on the results. We expect the results to provide one set of data to guide the selection of a suite of indicators that will be useful for water quality management decisions as well as understandable by stakeholders with interests in or who are affected by those decisions.
Value of Information Modeling. Several models were developed for examining the value of various types of information in aquatic ecosystem management.
Susquehanna Nitrogen Management Model. A coupled economic-biophysical model was developed for estimating the value of various types of economic and biophysical information required to assess the costs and benefits of controlling nitrogen pollution loads to the Chesapeake Bay from the Pennsylvania portion of the Susquehanna River Basin. The model is being used to conduct simulation experiments for estimating the value of alternative information sets under alternative water quality policy regimes.
Value of Information in Wetlands Assessment. The Wetland Monitoring Matrix for wetlands assessment developed by ASC team members Wardrop and Brooks has been represented in a decision theoretic framework that allows for the estimation of the value of information in wetlands assessment. The model also could be used to help make decisions about wetlands assessment activities.
Integrated Assessment of Quality of Life and Environment. Several models were developed for integrated assessment of the quality of life and the quality of environment. The primary objective is to provide methods for ranking the relative efficiency of communities in the region in producing a high quality of life and environment using minimal value judgments, and for explaining the differences in the relative efficiency of communities. A secondary objective is to develop theory and results about economy-environment linkages to guide the use of information in integrated assessment and policy analysis. The models use optimal control, stochastic frontier analysis, data envelopment analysis, and Hauss Diagrams.
Institutional and Jurisdictional Aspects of Indicator Use. During the second grant year, the Environmental Law Institute: (1) collected and analyzed state laws from the Atlantic Slope States to determine where such laws authorized the use of ecological indicators in decision-making; (2) advised the Human Dimensions Working Group on questionnaire design and identified government officials in the region to be interviewed; (3) conducted independent interviews on indicator programs; (4) conducted the research for a baseline analysis of the status of ecological indicators as a management tool in state programs across the nation; and (5) participated in consortium meetings and research.
Future Activities:
The activities described in the following paragraphs will be conducted during the upcoming reporting period.
Watershed Level Data Collection From Stakeholders. Our major activity in the coming year will be to conduct focus groups and random sample surveys of diverse stakeholders about diverse indicators in selected ASC watersheds. These information collection activities will enable us to test the value of specific indicators and suites of indicators for different types of stakeholders for addressing specific water quality problems. We will collaborate closely with all ASC institutions in selecting watersheds, focus group participants, and developing the sample survey instrument.
Value of Information Modeling. The Susquehanna River Basin Value of Information Modeling will be completed in the coming year. We will conduct applications of the wetlands value of information model.
Integrated Assessment of Quality of Life and Environment. Our efforts in integrated assessment of quality of life and quality of environment have been focused on theory and methods. We are now using county level data for proof-of-concept studies. We will continue this proof-of-concept testing during the coming year. Our ultimate objective is to make use of data generated through ASC environmental and human dimensions sampling activities to assess the relative efficiency of communities in the region in producing a high quality of life and environment using minimal value judgments, and for explaining differences in the relative efficiency of communities.
Institutional and Jurisdictional Aspects of Indicator Use. Upcoming activities include: writing and submitting for publication a research paper on the status of ecological indicators as a management tool in state programs, and conducting targeted research linking state and local laws authorizing indicator use to the selected case study watersheds.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 40 publications for this subprojectSupplemental Keywords:
ecological indicator, human dimension, environmental management, risk assessment, value of information, quality of life, environmental law., RFA, Economic, Social, & Behavioral Science Research Program, Scientific Discipline, ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, ECOSYSTEMS, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Ecosystem/Assessment/Indicators, Ecosystem Protection, Economics, Ecological Effects - Environmental Exposure & Risk, Ecological Monitoring, decision-making, Ecological Risk Assessment, Ecology and Ecosystems, Social Science, Economics & Decision Making, Ecological Indicators, Risk Assessment, ecosystem valuation, model-based analysis, ecoindicator, policy making, valuation, decision making, environmental decision making, cost of pollution abatement, economic incentives, environmental values, socioeconomics, economic models, environmental benefits assessment, ecological assessment, environmental policy, ecosystem management, environmental decision-making, estuarine ecosystems, environmental protection, public values, cost-effective ecosysem protection, preference survey, economic objectivesRelevant Websites:
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractMain Center Abstract and Reports:
R828684 Center for Integrated Multi‐scale Nutrient Pollution Solutions Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R828684C001 Integrated Assessment of Estuarine Ecosystems
R828684C002 Development of an Optical Indicator of Habitat Suitability for Submersed Aquatic Vegetation
R828684C003 Integrated Assessment of Watersheds
R828684C004 Socioeconomic and Institutional Research
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.
Project Research Results
6 journal articles for this subproject
Main Center: R828684
166 publications for this center
44 journal articles for this center