This dissertation consists of three papers on land use economics and regulation. The
first paper reviews numerous past literatures on how land-use regulation, agricultural
subsidies, and use-value assessment method affect land values. The second paper uses a
theoretical model to analyze how imposing minimum-lot-size zoning and different
designs of minimum-lot-size...
Private land-use decisions can have important effects on private and public welfare. Market-based policies to regulate land use have the potential to move the privately-optimal allocation of land closer to what is socially optimal. To implement these policies in the Rocky Mountain states, it is necessary to understand the effects...
Oregon's land use planning system is often recognized as having been successful in its goals of limiting urban sprawl and protecting resource lands from development. However, it is difficult to quantify the impact of these regulations, because we cannot observe what would have happened in the absence of land use...
A growing body of literature exists on how human population growth and changes in climatic factors influence the availability of water (Elliot et al. 2014, Prudhomme et al. 2014). These studies typically conclude that climate change is expected to have negative consequences on water availability, an effect that is magnified...
This dissertation's three essays explore the effects of climate change on land use
changes in the U.S., how future land areas in all major land uses change by projecting
land use at the regional scale under two IPCC climate change scenarios. Investigate how
and what role should carbon sequestration plays...
This dissertation explores two economic phenomena involving forest-dependent areas: wage distribution and migration pattern of individuals. Are forest-dependent rural areas less desirable for workers from the standpoint of labor market returns? Are different skills (e.g. education, experience) rewarded differently in these areas? If there are interregional wage differences, would that...
Habitat fragmentation has been widely studied in the biological literature and
is considered a primary threat to biodiversity. However, there has been little research
on land-use policies to reduce fragmentation. This dissertation focuses on two major
research issues related to fragmentation policies. First, I develop an analytical model
to analyze...
Advancing the understanding of natural resource management is an important step in mitigating the effects of human activity on the environment, and ensuring efficient outcomes for many sectors of the economy. As humanity’s role in the natural world becomes better understood, the importance of interdisciplinary modeling has grown in leaps...
County-level net migration and employment growth rates associated with the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) are examined. The NWFP area encompasses federal land in 53 Oregon, Washington and California counties; 20 counties adjacent to NWFP counties are also included in the sample. The NWFP was enacted in December of 1993, however,...
Development along the Oregon coast is continuing in areas that are known to be hazardous, in spite of strict zoning and other laws. The coast commonly sees erosion that can wash away cliffs and undermine structures as well as accretion that can bury houses in sand. However the much more...