This study investigates the short-run dynamics and long-run equilibrium relationship between residential electricity demand and factors influencing demand -per capita income, price of electricity, price of kerosene oil and price of liquefied petroleum gas -using annual data for Sri Lanka for the period, 1960-2007. The study uses unit root, cointegration and error-correction models. The long-run demand elasticities of income, own price and price of kerosene oil (substitute) were estimated to be 0.78, − 0.62, and 0.14 respectively. The short-run elasticities for the same variables were estimated to be 0.32, − 0.16 and 0.10 respectively. Liquefied petroleum (LP) gas is a substitute for electricity only in the short-run with an elasticity of 0.09. The main findings of the paper support the following (1) increasing the price of electricity is not the most effective tool to reduce electricity consumption (2) existing subsidies on electricity consumption can be removed without reducing government revenue (3) the long-run income elasticity of demand shows that any future increase in household incomes is likely to significantly increase the demand for electricity and (4) any power generation plans which consider only current per capita consumption and population growth should be revised taking into account the potential future income increases in order to avoid power shortages in the country.

Highlights• Monetary and non-monetary measures are commonly used in residential water demand management • The focus of this research is to explore behavioral and attitudinal changes due to different monetary and non-monetary management measures and thereby measure the water savings effects. • A structural behavioral model was developed based on field experimental data collected from selected residents in Brisbane, Australia • Results indicate that both monetary and non-monetary measures reduce domestic water consumption, but non-monetary measures are more influential in changing environmental behavior and attitudes. • This research suggests that knowledge and moral suasion are appropriate instruments in managing residential water demand.

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Pesticide spraying by farmers has an adverse impact on their health. However, in studies to date examining farmers’ exposure to pesticides, the costs of ill health and their determinants have been based on information provided by farmers themselves. Some doubt has therefore been cast on the reliability of these estimates. In this study, we address this by conducting surveys among two groups of farmers who use pesticides on a regular basis. The first group is made up of farmers who perceive that their ill health is due to exposure to pesticides and have obtained at least some form of treatment (described in this article as the ‘general farmer group’). The second group is composed of farmers whose ill health has been diagnosed by doctors and who have been treated in hospital for exposure to pesticides (described here as the ‘hospitalised farmer group’). Cost comparisons are made between the two groups of farmers. Regression analysis of the determinants of health costs show that the most important determinants of medical costs for both samples are the defensive expenditure, the quantity of pesticides used per acre per month, frequency of pesticide use and number of pesticides used per hour per day. The results have important policy implications.

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