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\hypersetup{pdftitle={The Influence of Socially Desirable Responding in Survey"=based Environmental Valuation in Southwest China},pdfauthor={Tobias Börger},pdfsubject={Tropentag 2010: Abstract},pdfkeywords={Contingent valuation, rural China, socially desirable responding},pdfpagemode=None,colorlinks=true}
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\parbox[b]{13.4cm}{\centering \large{\textbf{Tropentag, September 14-16, 2010, Zurich}}\\[1ex] \Large{``World Food System  ---\\A Contribution from Europe''\\[2ex]}}
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\Large{\textbf{The Influence of Socially Desirable Responding in Survey"=based Environmental Valuation in Southwest China\footnote{\textbf{Contact Address:} Tobias Börger, University of Hohenheim, Department of Economics, Stuttgart, Germany, \mbox{e-mail}: \email{tboerger@uni-hohenheim.de}}\\[0.8ex]}}
\normalsize{\textsc{Tobias Börger}}
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\begin{itemize*}
\item[]{\small{\textit{University of Hohenheim, Department of Economics, Germany}}}
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\index[author]{Börger, Tobias}
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\textbf{Abstract}
\begin{abstract}
\normalsize{
In environmental economics, the contingent valuation method (CVM) serves for measuring the social value of environmental goods by eliciting the willingness to pay (WTP) of households for such goods. This survey"=based method confronts respondents with a hypothetical policy causing an improvement of environmental quality and subsequently asks how much they are willing to pay to support this policy. On the basis of neoclassical welfare theory these stated WTPs are interpreted as measures of the households' utility changes induced by the respective policy.



Due to its survey"=based nature, the CVM is prone to suffer from biases during the interview process, one of which is so"=called socially desirable responding (SDR). SDR is the tendency of a respondent to respond in a way that is socially desirable from her perspective rather than answer truthfully. Therefore, the present study deals with the assessment of the conditions for the occurrence of SDR in CVM survey interviews. It is assumed that three conditions must be met simultaneously for SDR to occur. These conditions are general need for social approval of the respondent, a not completely anonymous interview setting, and a subjectively perceived difference in the social desirability of the response options. 



The framework for this study is a CVM survey that assesses the social value of biodiversity for the population of Jinghong, a rural town in Southwest China, which constitutes a subproject of the Sino-German research cooperation ``Rural development through land use diversification'' (2007--2010). The WTP of a representative sample of about 2000 households for a rubber conversion and reforestation project near Jinghong was elicited. The trigger for an investigation of the conditions of SDR is considerations that the influence of SDR on responses concerning environmental conservation could be especially strong in rural China. The results confirm that the interplay of the above three factors distorts WTP responses upwards. Further, the data show that under certain circumstances SDR incentives interact with interview and interviewer effects. Given these findings and the increasing use of the CVM in China and other transformation economies in recent years the control of the above effects in future CVM surveys is recommended. 



}

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\noindent \textbf{Keywords:} Contingent valuation, rural China, socially desirable responding
\index[key]{Contingent valuation}
\index[key]{Rural!China}
\index[key]{Socially desirable responding}
\end{document}