DSpace Repository :: Browsing by Author "Ponce, Roberto D."

Browsing by Author "Ponce, Roberto D."

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Economic valuation of Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB):
(2024) Carias, José; Vásquez Lavín, Felipe; Barrientos, Manuel; Ponce, Roberto D.; Gelcich, Stefan
This paper presents a literature review on the economic valuation of Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) impacts, identifying methodological challenges, policy implications, and gaps. Unlike previous literature reviews, we are particularly interested in determining whether the economic valuations of HABs have included a policy analysis. Our paper provides a conceptual framework that allows us to evaluate whether applications of economic studies of HABs are consistent with a well-defined economic welfare analysis. It links methodologies and techniques with welfare measures, data types, and econometric methods. Based on this literature review, we present an example of economic valuation that closes the gap between policy analysis and valuation methodology. We use a stated preferences study to estimate a “seafood price premium” to create a fund to support monitoring systems and for damage compensation to producers in the presence of HABs. Results show that most economic studies on HAB valuation do not consider any cost-benefit analysis of a defined policy intervention. The predominant economic valuation methodology uses market information to estimate a proxy for welfare measure of the impact of HABs (loss revenue, sales, exports). Moreover, nonuse and indirect use values are ignored in the literature, while stated preference methodologies are underrepresented. Finally, results from 1293 surveys found that people are willing to pay an increase in the price of mussels to support a policy that informs on HAB. However, the lack of institutional trust affects the probability of paying negatively.
Emerging energy sources' social acceptability:
(2024) Ponce, Roberto D.; Estay, M.; Barrientos, M.; Estevez, R.A.; Gelcich, S.; Vásquez Lavín, Felipe
Any decrease in global warming and its effects can only occur with a substantial reduction in anthropogenic CO2 emissions. In this context, renewable energy sources, particularly emerging sources, may play a central role in accelerating the transition from fossil fuels to cleaner energy sources. Emerging energy sources are renewable and have the potential to reduce global warming emissions; however, they are in the early development stages. These technologies include enhanced geothermal processes, artificial photosynthesis, and marine energy. In this study, we assess the main attributes that determine the social acceptance of renewable marine energy projects, highlighting individual preferences and heterogeneity for these projects. The results show that energy generation, ecological impact, job creation, co-ownership, and distributional justice are statistically significant attributes that support projects. However, individual preferences are highly heterogeneous. The existence of distinct classes (two in this case) with different preferences for marine energy attributes indicates that the one-size-fits-all approach may be inappropriate. Instead, policymakers and energy producers should tailor their proposals to meet the needs of both groups, considering their preferences and concerns.
Estimating residential water demand under systematic shifts between Uniform Price (UP) and Increasing BlockTariffs (IBT)
(2024) Chovar Vera, A. M.; Vásquez Lavín, Felipe; Ponce, Roberto D.
We evaluate whether changing from a uniform price (UP) to an increasing block tariff (IBT) changes people's behavior. We exploit a unique setting in which the price scheme moves back and forth yearly from UP to IBT. We discuss the effectiveness of IBT in reducing summer consumption. This issue is relevant to many countries and policymakers interested in designing tariff structures. There is no evidence of how the same consumer may react to systematically switching from one tariff structure to another yearly. We estimate the residential water demand and its price elasticity using a generalized least squared random effect model for the UP and the discrete/continuous choice model for the IBT. In addition, we split the sample between low and highconsumption groups. For the low consumption group unaffected by the tariff change, the elasticity in the nonsummer months is higher (more elastic) than in the summer. Consumers in this group reduce their elasticity from nonsummer to summer months (- 0.299 vs. - 0.071, respectively) and increase their consumption by 13%. The high consumption group increased its summer consumption, but only by 8.7%, and contrary to the first group, its elasticity increased significantly (from - 0.299 to - 0.568). The high‐consumption group is indeed affected by the change in tariff. From a policy perspective, this implies that the IBT structure is relevant. However, if the policy seeks to promote conservation, it needs to be adjusted to a lower decile of the water consumption distribution to affect a more significant portion of the population.
Evaluando las condiciones de racionalidad y plausibilidad en la valoración de conservar la biodiversidad de un país megabiodiverso: El caso del Manu en Perú
(2023) Dávila, José; Vásquez Lavín, Felipe; Orihuela, Carlos Enrique; Ponce, Roberto D.; Lavado-Solis, Karol; Paredes-Vilca, Oscar; Mogollón Ñañez, Raymundo; Díaz, Sabrina
Según la NOAA, los resultados de una valoración económica son aplicables como política pública si cumplen dos condiciones: racionalidad y plausibilidad. En el presente estudio, se realiza la valoración económica de conservar la biodiversidad del Parque Nacional del Manu en Perú (país megabiodiverso), a partir de tres representaciones: especies, hábitat y funcionalidad. Se identificó la presencia de sensibilidad al alcance en la mayor parte de atributos empleados. Al incluir características socioeconómicas se identificó que el género y los niveles salariales afectan las preferencias. Los resultados muestran que las especies de flora amenazada y la funcionalidad cumplen con ambas condiciones.
Exploring the impact of ocean acidification information on consumers’ preference for seafood
(2024) Barrientos, Manuel; Carrasco-Garcés, Moisés; Vásquez Lavín, Felipe; Ponce, Roberto D.; San Martín, Valeska A.; Gelcich, Stefan
We conducted a discrete choice experiment to explore whether providing information about a lesser-known issue related to climate change, ocean acidification (OA), affects consumers’ preferences for seafood products in a middle-income country in the southern hemisphere. Our objective was to determine whether OA information affects consumer preferences for seafood using stated preference (SP) techniques. Seafood attributes include shell size and appearance, meat color, texture, taste, nutritional composition, product assortments, and price. We applied a split-sample approach to test for information effects, with one sample receiving information about OA while the other did not. We analyze the differences between samples using visual instruments and statistical tests. The results demonstrate that although the statistical test does not identify a difference between models, we did find that OA information increases the precision of ’consumers’ responses. Moreover, using visual instruments, we found differences in specific parameters – not detected in the statistical analysis - which can lead to substantial differences in the willingness to pay for seafood attributes. The article is relevant as understanding these matters is essential when generating more effective communicational strategies regarding the impacts of global changes.
Female underperformance hypothesis revisited: methodological review and empirical testing.
(2023) Ibañez, María José; Vásquez Lavín, Felipe; Ponce, Roberto D.
Comparison between the performance of female and male-managed firms has long been a subject of research interest. Although the argument is that firms run by women have lower performance than those run by men, there is no agreement on the effects of managerial gender on companies’ financial outcomes. This study conducts a methodological review of quantitative research on the relationship between female business leadership and firm performance from 2010 to 2020. This review identifies the most frequently used dependent and explanatory variables and econometric models in the literature. Most studies have not considered endogeneity bias in their model specifications; therefore, these results could be biased and unreliable. We select empirical models to test the female underperformance hypothesis using a sample of Chilean firms. Our findings suggest that managers’ gender does not significantly affect business performance when endogeneity is addressed. Our methodological review reveals a significant gap in the research on female managers and firm performance in the Latin American context, and the empirical test provides new evidence in this vein.
Intrahousehold bargaining power and time allocation for multiple activities
(2023) Cardenas Retamal, Roberto; Barrientos Cifuentes, Manuel; Vásquez Lavín, Felipe; Ponce, Roberto D.
During the last decades, important policies have been implemented to incorporate women into the labor market, reduce persistent gender inequalities, and balance the time allocation between paid and unpaid work. We assess the Chilean case considering couples’ time allocation with an explicit consideration of intrahousehold bargaining power (relative wages and education). The Chilean case is interesting because we use the first urban national survey of time use, which could help understand gender differences in labor participation. We estimate a demand model, specifically a Multiple Discrete-Continuous Extreme Value (MDCEV) model considering six time-consuming activities on weekdays and weekends. In addition, we assess two hypothetical scenarios, namely, a proxy to childcare availability policy and an increase in women’s relative wages. We found that bargaining indicators are related to how individuals allocate their time, particularly the inverse relationship between the time allocated to housework and paid work. Moreover, we found that increasing women’s bargaining power in terms of wages could produce stronger labor force participation increments. Finally, our simulations show that while women can bridge the gap between paid and unpaid work, they continue to spend more time on domestic activities than men.
La Eficiencia de la producción de quinua en zonas altoandinas: el caso de Puno-Perú
(2023) Ataucusi, Yiem; Mercado, Waldemar; Ponce, Roberto D.; Orihuela, Carlos; Luna, Hugo; Ortiz, Hatzel; Mogollon, Raymundo
El objetivo de esta investigación es evaluar la eficiencia técnica y económica en la producción de quinua en el Departamento de Puno, Perú, mediante el uso del modelo de la función de producción estocástica. Para ello, se aplicaron encuestas presenciales a 461 productores, los cuales fueron segmentados según su práctica cultural (quechua y aymara) y su zona agroecológica (Circunlacustre, Suni y Puna). Los resultados indican que los aymaras son más eficientes que los quechuas. A nivel de zonas agroecológicas, la zona Suni presenta mayor eficiencia técnica del productor de quinua (0.74) en comparación con otras zonas. El promedio de todas ellas fue 0.68. Además, se encontró que en zonas donde predominan prácticas productivas tradicionales, la eficiencia técnica explica mejor la relación entre los insumos y los productores, ya que en su mayoría estos se sienten motivados a garantizar su seguridad alimentaria, en tanto, lograr eficiencia en costos no sería propósito de las economías familiares altoandinas, pues pocos productores se motivan a maximizar beneficios monetarios.
Microplastics in seafood:
(2024) Barrientos, Manuel; Vásquez Lavín, Felipe; Ponce, Roberto D.; Nayga Jr, Rodolfo M.; Gelcich, Stefan
Microplastics, an emerging pollutant, have garnered widespread attention due to potential repercussions on human health and the environment. Given the critical role of seafood in food security, growing concerns about microplastics might be detrimental to meeting future global food demand. This study employed a discrete choice experiment to investigate Chilean consumers’ preferences for technology aimed at mitigating microplastic levels in mussels. Using a between-subjects design with information treatments, we examined the impact of informing consumers about potential human health and environmental effects linked to microplastics pollution on their valuation for the technology. We found that the information treatments increased consumers’ willingness to pay for mussels. Specifically, consumers were willing to pay a premium of around US$ 4 for 250 g of mussel meat with a 90 % depuration efficiency certification. The provision of health impact information increased the price premium by 56 %, while the provision of environmental information increased it by 21 %. Furthermore, combined health and environmental information significantly increased the probability of non-purchasing behavior by 22.8 % and the risk perception of microplastics for human health by 5.8 %. These results emphasized the critical role of information in shaping consumer preferences and provided evidence for validating investment in research and development related to microplastic pollution mitigation measures.
Modelamiento hidro-económico de los efectos del cambio climático y política en la agricultura andina
(2023) Crispin Cunya, Marianella; Ponce, Roberto D.; Rendon Schneir, Eric; Arias Montevechio, Esteban Eduardo
El cambio climático viene afectando de manera diferenciada a la agricultura, en particular, en la zona andina, dada su alta exposición, sensibilidad y baja capacidad adaptativa. Se evaluó la respuesta adaptativa de la agricultura andina frente a una variación de la disponibilidad hídrica debido al cambio climático en base al modelo hidro-económico que integra dos módulos: el modelamiento hidrológico en base al SWAT y un modelo económico de optimización en base al PMP. Se determinó una alta vulnerabilidad agrícola frente al cambio climático situación que podría revertirse al aplicar una política agraria en base al uso eficiente del agua.
Out of sight, not out of mind:
(2024) Henríquez, Makarena; Vásquez Lavín, Felipe; Barrientos, Manuel; Ponce, Roberto D.; Lara, Antonio; Flores-Benner, Gabriela; Riquelme, Carlos
According to the latest global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services, nature and biodiversity have experienced a global decline, making the development of conservation policies urgent. Herein, we used a contingent valuation survey to estimate the economic value of a reintroduction program for the huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus), an endangered charismatic species in Chile. Our novel approach exploits changes in the access to the site to disentangle nonuse value from use value. We use parametric and nonparametric models to estimate the willingness to pay for the program. Our findings consistently indicate that the conservation of the huemul is valued more when tourist access is restricted, as opposed to allowing visitors access to reintroduction areas. We also analyze the sensitivity of this main finding to different cut-off points of a certainty scale, showing that the results are robust. We hypothesize that people are willing to pay a “premium” to keep the conservation site “out of sight” from tourist activities. This could also be related to the belief that a reintroduction program would be more effective if access was not allowed. A cost-benefit analysis using the most conservative assumptions suggests that social benefit significantly outperforms cost.
Policy disclosure as a predictor of environmental behaviour: evidence from the chilean retail sector
(2024) Ibáñez, María José; Vásquez Lavín, Felipe; Ponce, Roberto D.
This study examines the relationship between corporate environmental policy disclosures and firms’ environmental investments. Using an endogenous switching probit (ESP) model to mitigate potential endogeneity issues, this study serves two purposes. Initially, it estimates the influence of six organizational characteristics—size, age, manager gender, export orientation, family ownership, and corporate group affiliation—on the probability of firms declaring pro-environmental policies. Subsequently, we test whether such policy disclosures are reliable predictors of environmental investment. We use the retail sector as a case study because of its pivotal role as an intermediary between primary producers, manufacturers, and consumers, thereby holding a uniquely influential position in driving sustainable consumption and production. Our results show a positive relationship between size, manager gender, export orientation, family ownership, and corporate group affiliation. In addition, we find that declaring an environmental policy positively affects the likelihood of businesses investing in environmental protection. This study contributes to the existing literature in three significant ways: it increases the evidence supporting a causal relationship between environmental policy disclosure and environmental investments; it is the first to explore this relationship within the retail industry; and it broadens our understanding of this dynamic in the context of developing countries.
The economics impacts of long-run droughts: Challenges, gaps, and way forward
(2023) Fernández , Francisco J.; Vásquez Lavín, Felipe; Ponce, Roberto D.; Garreaud , René; Hernández, Francisco; Link , Oscar; Zambrano, Francisco; Hanemann, Michael
Quantifying drought's economic impacts has been key for decision-making to build future strategies and improve the development and implementation of proactive plans. However, climate change is changing drought frequency, intensity, and durability. These changes imply modifications of their economic impact, as longer droughts result in greater cumulative economic losses for water users. Though the longer the drought lasts, other factors also play a crucial role in its economic outcomes, such as Infrastructure capacity (IC), the Amount of Water in Storage (AWS) in reservoirs and aquifers, and short- and long-term responses to it. This study proposes and applies an analytical framework for the economic assessment of long-run droughts, assessing and explaining central Chile megadrought economic effects through the factors that begin to influence the economic impact level in this setting. High levels of both IC and the AWS, as well as short- and long-term responses of water users, allow for high resilience to long-run droughts, tolerating extraordinary water disruption in its society with relatively low total economic impacts. Despite this adaptability, long-term droughts bring places to a water-critical threshold where long-term adaptation strategies may be less flexible than short-term strategies, escalating the adverse economic effects. This fact suggests that the economic evaluation of megadrought needs to focus on future tipping points (substantial water scarcity). The tipping point depends on the IC, how water users manage the AWS, and adaptation strategies. Establishing the tipping point should be a priority for future interdisciplinary research.
Tourism metamorphosis:
(2024) Ibáñez, María José; Ponce, Roberto D.; Diaz-Avendaño, Julian
Through Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) on destination attractiveness characteristics at the country level, this study identifies attribute configurations in the pre- and post-pandemic period to analyze the changes and differences generated by an exogenous event (COVID-19). The results suggest that the destination attractiveness attributes work together, in multidimensional configurations, to increase leisure travel volume. We found an important change in pat-terns/configurations of attractiveness between the pre- and post-pandemic scenarios. Our findings suggest that the destination attributes may change in importance and valuation or disappear for some configurations. The conclusion has implications for the stakeholders related to the destination attractiveness development, showing possible patterns of tourism attributes to guide the action to improve the resilience in the tourism sector and recover these activities in a disaster scenario.
Understanding the role of institutions and economic context on entrepreneurial value creation choice
(2023) Diaz Tautiva, Julian Andres; Salvaj, Erica; Vásquez Lavín, Felipe; Ponce, Roberto D.
Research background: The observable discrepancies in entrepreneurship activity across countries have motivated both researchers and policymakers to comprehend the sources of these variations. Certain scholars have suggested that the answer to this empirical puzzle lies in the macrolevel processes that influence entrepreneurial endeavours. Purpose of the article: As the understanding of macrolevel processes that shape entrepreneurial behaviour is limited, this research aims to answer how institutions and the economic context influence entrepreneurial value creation choices (i.e., for-profit, non-profit, and mixed). Methods: Using a cross-country sample of 7,891 entrepreneurs in 58 countries, we employ a multilevel ordered probit to evaluate a novel conceptual framework. Our analysis models the direct impact of the regulative framework, the normative pillar, and the cultural pillar, alongside the moderating influence of income inequality and economic uncertainty on value creation choices. Findings & value added: Our findings show that the regulative framework has a positive marginal effect on for-profit and mixed-value creation, but a negative effect on non-profit value creation. Meanwhile, the normative pillar has a negative marginal effect on for-profit and mixed-value creation, but a positive effect on non-profit value creation. The cultural pillar has a negative marginal effect on for-profit and mixed-value creation, but a positive effect on non-profit value creation. Furthermore, income inequality moderates positive the relationship between normative pillar and for-profit and mixed-value creation, while economic uncertainty moderates negative the relationship between normative pillar and for-profit and mixed-value creation. Our research contributes to the literature by providing a nuanced understanding of how institutional pillars can act as drivers or barriers for different entrepreneurial forms, evidence of how uncertainty interacts with institutional forces to shape value creation decisions, and insights into the distinctive attributes of different entrepreneurial forms. Our findings have implications for public policy development.

Browsing by Author "Ponce, Roberto D."

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