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Unveiling information on opportunity costs in REDD: Who obtains the surplus when policy objectives differ?

Delacote, Philippe, Palmer, Charles ORCID: 0000-0002-1252-179X, Bakkegaard, Riyong Kim and Thorsen, Bo Jellesmark (2014) Unveiling information on opportunity costs in REDD: Who obtains the surplus when policy objectives differ? Resources and Energy Economics, 36 (2). pp. 508-527. ISSN 0928-7655

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Identification Number: 10.1016/j.reseneeco.2013.07.002

Abstract

Improving information about individual opportunity costs of deforestation agents has the potential to increase the efficiency of REDD when it takes the form of a payment for environmental services scheme. However, objectives pursued in REDD projects may vary across policy makers. Within a theoretical framework, this paper explores the impacts of different policy objectives under two opportunity cost settings: asymmetric and full information. For a policy maker aiming to maximize net income from REDD, having full information may not increase the amount of forest conserved but could lead to a redistribution of rents away from agents. By contrast, for an environmental policy maker focused on maximizing the amount of forest conserved under REDD having full information increases the amount of forest conserved while reducing the rents received by agents. For a policy maker pursuing poverty alleviation objectives in REDD-affected communities, having full information makes no difference to overall welfare as rents remain with agents. The amount of deforestation avoided will at least be as high as under asymmetric information. These results are illustrated with data collected on opportunity costs in Amazonas State, Brazil.

Item Type: Article
Official URL: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/resource-and-ener...
Additional Information: © 2013 Elsevier B.V.
Divisions: Geography & Environment
Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > G Geography (General)
G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences
G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GF Human ecology. Anthropogeography
J Political Science > JA Political science (General)
JEL classification: H - Public Economics > H2 - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue > H23 - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q2 - Renewable Resources and Conservation > Q23 - Forestry
Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q54 - Climate; Natural Disasters
Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q56 - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounting; Environmental Equity
Date Deposited: 30 Aug 2013 14:36
Last Modified: 14 Sep 2024 06:20
URI: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/52184

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