Matching Items (25)
Description
Consideration of both biological and human-use dynamics in coupled social-ecological systems is essential for the success of interventions such as marine reserves. As purely human institutions, marine reserves have no direct effects on ecological systems. Consequently, the success of a marine reserve depends on managers` ability to alter human behavior in the direction and magnitude that supports reserve objectives. Further, a marine reserve is just one component in a larger coupled social-ecological system. The social, economic, political, and biological landscape all determine the social acceptability of a reserve, conflicts that arise, how the reserve interacts with existing fisheries management, accuracy of reserve monitoring, and whether the reserve is ultimately able to meet conservation and fishery enhancement goals. Just as the social-ecological landscape is critical at all stages for marine reserve, from initial establishment to maintenance, the reserve in turn interacts with biological and human use dynamics beyond its borders. Those interactions can lead to the failure of a reserve to meet management goals, or compromise management goals outside the reserve. I use a bio-economic model of a fishery in a spatially patchy environment to demonstrate how the pre-reserve fisheries management strategy determines the pattern of fishing effort displacement once the reserve is established, and discuss the social, political, and biological consequences of different patterns for the reserve and the fishery. Using a stochastic bio-economic model, I demonstrate how biological and human use connectivity can confound the accurate detection of reserve effects by violating assumptions in the quasi-experimental framework. Finally, I examine data on recreational fishing site selection to investigate changes in response to the announcement of enforcement of a marine reserve in the Gulf of California, Mexico. I generate a scale of fines that would fully or partially protect the reserve, providing a data-driven way for managers to balance biological and socio-economic goals. I suggest that natural resource managers consider human use dynamics with the same frequency, rigor, and tools as they do biological stocks.
ContributorsFujitani, Marie (Author) / Abbott, Joshua (Thesis advisor) / Fenichel, Eli (Thesis advisor) / Gerber, Leah (Committee member) / Anderies, John (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
South Mountain is the largest municipal park in the nation. It is a bundled amenity, providing a series of linked services to the surrounding communities. A dataset of 19,209 homes in 155 neighborhoods within three miles of the park was utilized in order to complete a hedonic estimation for two nearby urban villages, Ahwatukee Foothills and South Mountain Village. Measures of access include proximity to the park, trailhead access, and adjacency to the park. Two regressions were estimated, the first including lot characteristics and subdivision fixed effects and the second using the coefficients for each subdivision as the dependent variable. These estimates describe how the location of a house in a subdivision contributes to its conditional mean price. As a result they offer a direct basis for capturing amenities measured at the neighborhood scale on home values. Park proximity, trailhead access and adjacency were found to significantly influence the price of homes at the 5% confidence level in Ahwatukee, but not in South Mountain Village. The results of this study can be applied to issues of environmental justice and park access in determining which areas and attributes of the park are associated with a high premium. Though South Mountain was preserved some time ago, development and future preservation in the City of Phoenix can be informed by such studies.
ContributorsRamakrishna, Saritha Kambhampati (Author) / Abbott, Joshua (Thesis director) / Smith, V. Kerry (Committee member) / Schoon, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Did the amount of media attention to the H1N1 flu or the information that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) disseminates about the H1N1 flu, influence individuals' decisions to avoid public locations during the 2009-2010 H1N1 Influenza pandemic? I investigate this question using weekly-confirmed H1N1 cases from the CDC, the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), and the Google Trends weekly search volume index for certain key terms. I found that individuals did exhibit some avoidance behaviour during the flu pandemic in response to the CDC data, but not the measures of media attention. However, the magnitudes of these adjustments are small in comparison to other measures of avoidance behaviour, such as reduced time in public during extreme weather events.
ContributorsGunn, Quentin Lee (Author) / Kuminoff, Nicolai (Thesis director) / Abbott, Joshua (Committee member) / Fenichel, Eli (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor)
Created2013-12
Description
The goal of this paper is to serve as a case-study of the youth climate movement at the local level, focusing on how young activists and organizers in Arizona perceive their pathways, motivators, and barriers in the climate movement. In order to answer my research question of ‘What are the different experiences of Arizona youth activists’ involvement in climate action?’, I conducted a case-study of 15 interviews with participants between the ages of 18-25 that varied in racial and gender identity, as well as the duration of their involvement. While this paper does not present a comprehensive view of all experiences of youth climate activists and organizers in Arizona, these interviews highlight the upbringing, background, and the degree of involvement of young climate organizers and activists, ultimately revealing their similar yet unique experiences in the climate movement. Even though further research, discussion, and opportunities are needed to better understand the youth climate movement as well as other emerging social movements, these participants represent the heart of the movement here in Arizona. This case-study sheds light on lived-experiences and urges readers to consider young climate activists and organizers’ varying perspectives on how to support, amplify, and implement their requests for a livable, intersectional, diverse, and inclusive future.
ContributorsNguyen, Minh-Tam (Author) / Fischer, Daniel (Thesis director) / Klinsky, Sonja (Committee member) / School of Sustainability (Contributor, Contributor, Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-12
Description
As a cause of negative economic, societal, and environmental effects, food waste is increasingly being seen as a sustainability issue that needs to be addressed. Reduction of food waste is preferred to recycling because it reduces the financial burden and technological innovations needed to address the issue. While there are many different approaches to reduce food waste, this paper investigates dynamic social norms as an avenue for reducing food waste. Recent studies showcased the effectiveness of using dynamic social norms to reduce meat consumption and the use of to-go cups. However, there appears to be a gap in research that investigates the impact of dynamic social norms in U.S. university community dining settings. This study piloted the use of dynamic social norms to intervene in post-consumer food waste behaviors at Arizona State University. Specifically, this study compared food waste amounts in a location with and without an intervention tool as well as conducted interviews to monitor any self-reported behavior change. Results show that dynamic social norms can promote behavior change in terms of food waste when compared to a control location without the intervention. Further, this study advocates for monitoring food habits through both quantitative and qualitative analysis in order to identify potential behavior changes that could not be captured to the same extent by a mono-methodological approach.
ContributorsCampbell, Hailey Paige (Author) / Fischer, Daniel (Thesis director) / Auustin-Behravesh, Shirley-Ann (Committee member) / School of Sustainability (Contributor, Contributor) / Watts College of Public Service & Community Solut (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Over the past decade, corporate social responsibilities and sustainability has become more of a trending topic; not only amongst citizens, but within many private firms as well. Aligning operations with sustainable practices within a for-profit firm or organization has evolved into a critical focus area in order for a company to be more sustainable.
Having sustainable practices in place can be significant, but it is also important to consider employees and their perspectives, as they are the ones who implement them. The majority of the employees that work within an organization, not those that create these policies, are the ones who’s perspectives should be more strongly considered. In order to effectively implement these practices, firms can educate their employees about the initiatives or newly implemented changes to current practices. Sustainability education for employees, covering company-specific policies, improves the likelihood of participation within initiatives. Increased employee education has the potential to raise the probability that companies will see the benefits that come with enacting sustainable practices.
Having sustainable practices in place can be significant, but it is also important to consider employees and their perspectives, as they are the ones who implement them. The majority of the employees that work within an organization, not those that create these policies, are the ones who’s perspectives should be more strongly considered. In order to effectively implement these practices, firms can educate their employees about the initiatives or newly implemented changes to current practices. Sustainability education for employees, covering company-specific policies, improves the likelihood of participation within initiatives. Increased employee education has the potential to raise the probability that companies will see the benefits that come with enacting sustainable practices.
ContributorsCourrier, Leandra Denaye (Co-author) / Campbell, Hannah (Co-author) / Fischer, Daniel (Thesis director) / Molly, Cashion (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
This study estimates the capitalization effect of golf courses in Maricopa County using the hedonic pricing method. It draws upon a dataset of 574,989 residential transactions from 2000 to 2006 to examine how the aesthetic, non-golf benefits of golf courses capitalize across a gradient of proximity measures. The measures for amenity value extend beyond home adjacency and include considerations for homes within a range of discrete walkability buffers of golf courses. The models also distinguish between public and private golf courses as a proxy for the level of golf course access perceived by non-golfers. Unobserved spatial characteristics of the neighborhoods around golf courses are controlled for by increasing the extent of spatial fixed effects from city, to census tract, and finally to 2000 meter golf course ‘neighborhoods.’ The estimation results support two primary conclusions. First, golf course proximity is found to be highly valued for adjacent homes and homes up to 50 meters way from a course, still evident but minimal between 50 and 150 meters, and insignificant at all other distance ranges. Second, private golf courses do not command a higher proximity premia compared to public courses with the exception of homes within 25 to 50 meters of a course, indicating that the non-golf benefits of courses capitalize similarly, regardless of course type. The results of this study motivate further investigation into golf course features that signal access or add value to homes in the range of capitalization, particularly for near-adjacent homes between 50 and 150 meters thought previously not to capitalize.
ContributorsJoiner, Emily (Author) / Abbott, Joshua (Thesis director) / Smith, Kerry (Committee member) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
This paper addresses the issue of conservation funding in Arizona, particularly for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. This department is traditionally funded by the Pittman-Robertson act, which places excise taxes on hunting equipment to fund species conservation, and sales of hunting tags and licenses, but there is concern that these sources are unable to cover the increasing costs of climate change. A decrease in hunter participation and expenditures on hunting equipment also brings into question the stability of these revenue sources. This paper explains and analyzes four methods to supplement the department's funding to ensure adequate financial resources are available to conserve state wildlife and wildlife areas and draws conclusions about which method is best for the state of Arizona.
ContributorsGibson, Braxton (Author) / Leonard, Bryan (Thesis director) / Abbott, Joshua (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
Water scarcity in the Western United States has been the focus of recent policy discussion. Researchers and policymakers agree that the implications of water scarcity are severe and widespread, and as such have stressed the importance of addressing water allocation in the short term and long term. However, this urgency has led to some short-term solutions, like rotational fallowing, being implemented without evaluation, or some long-term solutions, like re-structuring of rights, being suggested without precedent. This dissertation aims at reducing the gap between proposed solutions, existing data, and program evaluation by developing and analyzing two novel datasets useful for causal identification, evaluating both a long-term and short-term approach to water scarcity with these data, and finally demonstrating the ability of overlapping institutions to respond to increasing weather variability. Chapter 1 evaluates a short-term approach, rotational fallowing, and identifies the impact of this approach on water savings. Chapter 2 develops novel trade panel data and exploits the only share-based water market in the US: the Colorado-Big Thompson Project. This chapter compares trade and crop choice outside of the CBT, to those same outcomes within the CBT, and identifies the differences. Chapter 3 expands on crop choice within the CBT and identifies the extent to which overlapping institutions can mediate weather variability compared to prior appropriation.
ContributorsWright, Katherine (Author) / Leonard, Bryan (Thesis advisor) / Abbott, Joshua (Committee member) / York, Abigail (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
The learning journey toward sustainability requires the generation of action-oriented knowledge to understand the progress and potential adaptation of strategies to facilitate collective transformation. One integral area where advancing these strategies is essential is higher education. While efforts in the field have identified relevant learning objectives, pedagogies, and broader contributions for sustainability education to make, the sophistication of approaches to evaluating and enhancing collective learning has remained underdeveloped. This dissertation aimed to address this gap by exploring assessment in sustainability education, with the goal of supporting innovations in transdisciplinary practice by developing distinctive approaches for the field through deliberative processes that articulate design frameworks.The first study, Sustainability-Oriented Assessment, applied a formative intervention within an undergraduate course focused on professional skill development to demonstrate how a student-led rubric co-design process that drew from participative, normative, and integrative approaches contributed to student agency, expansive learning, and self-formation. The study demonstrated how students leveraged challenges and changing perspectives towards development as students and sustainability professionals. The second study, Boundary Crossings and Innovations, applied an exploratory action research approach within a community of practice of program leaders and instructors to identify barriers and possibilities for assessment practices, suggesting conceptual, practical, and logistical innovations. The strategies to enable these innovations focused on defining the field and articulating practice characteristics related to interdisciplinary approaches and transdisciplinary strategies, while meeting demands and facilitating innovations across course, program, and institutional levels. The third study, Assessment-Oriented Sustainability, applied a scoping literature review to develop a framework that integrates problem, solution, and learning orientations to sustainability by infusing educational purposes, processes, and principles to strengthen the efficacy of assessment approaches for transdisciplinary strategies.
Insights from the three studies suggest that the practice of assessment plays multifaceted roles as it facilitates the design, implementation, and evaluation of sustainability endeavors. These roles include evaluative and formative functions as it appraises and advances learning, normative and deliberative functions in encouraging discussion and critical reflection, and adaptive and generative functions by indicating, motivating, and enabling dynamic learning and action for sustainability.
ContributorsKing, Jordan (Author) / Fischer, Daniel (Thesis advisor) / Larson, Kelli (Thesis advisor) / Brundiers, Katja (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024