In this paper, we propose a method of identifying and truncating protesters in Contingent Valuation surveys. We propose using a system of Willingness to Pay (WTP) questions that value multiple goods and that use both discrete choice and open-ended questions coupled with multiple questions about protest beliefs administered to the entire sample. Protesters can then be identified because they reject all bids, declare zero on all open-ended questions, and hold protest beliefs. The proposed procedure has been empirically tested on an air pollution data set from Poland, where 27 of the sample was identified as protesters. The adjustment for protesters increased the estimated WTP values by a factor of more than 3. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2007Air quality, Contingent Valuation, Embedding, Protest voters, Sequencing,

In this study we estimate how much Polish citizens would be willing to pay to harmonize Polish air pollution standards with EU standards. We conduct a contingent valuation of all damage components using a system of dichotomous choice questions. This system approach helps to avoid embedding problem and to identify protest voters. We compare estimates from a set of single logit models with a generalized estimating equations (GEE) model, which provides more parsimonious and efficient estimates. Although, health remains very important, our respondents valued mortality less than the literature but morbidity much more. Damages to ecosystems and cultural heritage compose 13–16% of the total value and their omission by the literature seriously underestimates total benefits. Overall, the results suggest that Poland values the benefits of pollution control much less than the wealthier EU suggesting harmonization should be postponed and conditioned on economic prosperity. Copyright Springer 2005air pollution, EU enlargement, Poland,

Cohort epidemiological studies consistently agree that small particulates increase mortality, but they do not agree about the magnitude of this effect. As cohort studies have included observations from more places, they have found smaller effects. This study relies on a sophisticated air pollution model to predict pollution concentrations across all counties in the contiguous United States. We test whether examining all counties in the US affects the magnitude of the pollution mortality effect. We find significant but smaller effects. The results suggest that continued epidemiological research using a broader base of locations is needed