Livestock productivity and profitability are threatened by livestock diseases. In this study, we examine farmers' revealed preferences for testing and treating gastrointestinal parasites in sheep in Sweden, taking into account the sequential structure of these decisions. We control for preventive measures, as well as the potential impact of wildlife–livestock disease transmission on farmers' decisions. A zero-inflated ordered probit model is used to estimate the determinants of farmers' decisions, and we cross-validate the robustness of the results to alternative model assumptions. Results from the regressions are used to calculate the consequences of these choices for farmers' profits. The results show that treatment decisions are informed by faecal testing, while both testing and treatment are influenced by the grazing practices, the size of the operation and access to information. Contrary to expectations from the conceptual framework, preventive management practices are positively correlated with treatment. Farmers take multiple risk factors into account when deciding on testing, but we do not find that the same factors affect the outcome of treatment. The economic impacts are small and suggest that treatment without prior testing is more profitable for the farmer than informed treatment. If widespread treatment increases drug resistance, this could motivate policies that encourage testing.

To increase the speed of implementation of carbon mitigation technologies, many countries set up publicly funded investment programs, where private and/or public entities can apply for support. These schemes are often criticized for not being cost-effective. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the Swedish Climate Leap Program, which differs from most other programs through the multisector approach. We examine determinants of project approval and evaluate the heterogeneity in implicit carbon pricing across sectors. Several econometric methods are used to assess equality in carbon pricing. Results show that although the cost-effectiveness ratio plays an important role in project approval, carbon pricing differs significantly across project types. Project guidelines favor charging stations and transport measures that aid in adopting new technology and reaching economies of scale. However, the preference for transport measures is not reflected in the carbon pricing while instead energy conversion measures have a higher probability of being funded given the cost-effectiveness of the investment. Funding decisions favor densely populated municipalities, which could be motivated for investments in public goods, but is questionable for transport and housing.

Agri-environmental investment support that compensates landowners for the costs of wetland creation and restoration is considered an effective policy for increasing biodiversity and reducing nonpoint emissions in agricultural landscapes. This study assesses the extent to which such an agri-environmental scheme is propagated across landowners and examines determinants of the adoption of the policy in Sweden. Using spatiotemporal variations in the implementation of the scheme, we show that endogenous spatial interaction across landowners helps propagate the adoption of the scheme. We did not find spatial interactions to play a role in the disadoption of the scheme.

Anthropogenic environmental degradation has been triggering youth rural to urban migration in developing countries. Environmental-driven migration pressure is intense in countries that rely on weather-dependent agriculture. Youth driven out of rural areas due to environmental factors end up in urban areas mostly seeking jobs without having the human capital needed to be employed in the formal sector. Thus, environmental factors push the youth into urban informal sectors. This chapter identifies environmental drivers of youth rural-urban migration and employment outcomes, using a survey of 700 youths from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which is combined with georeferenced weather data. Survey respondent youth mainly come from zones in Ethiopia that have experienced above average precipitation and temperature variability. This is corroborated by the youths’ responses. The survey respondents identify drought and flooding as the main environment-related reasons for migrating. Upon arriving in urban centers, the youth are informally employed mainly in construction, as daily laborers and in informal service sectors.

This study estimates the minimum total cost and distributional effects among countries transforming the car fleet in the EU to reduce emissions of carbon dioxides by 2050 by switching from fossil fuel-driven passenger cars to hybrid and electric-driven cars. Minimum cost is estimated using a dynamic optimization model in which costs are calculated as decreases in consumer surplus in the demand for vehicles under given annual increases in travel demand, carbon efficiency and technological improvement of electric cars. Distributional effects are calculated for the cost-effective allocation of costs among the EU member states and UK. Calculations are made for different emission reductions, and the cost for achieving a 60% reduction from the 1990 emission level ranges between 0.13% and 0.61% of the EU’s GDP depending on assumptions about development of travel demand and carbon efficiency. The results indicate a slightly regressive allocation in most scenarios, where the cost share is relatively high for low income countries.