Explaining the Appearance and Success of Open Space Referenda

28 Pages Posted: 2 Aug 2012

See all articles by Martin D. Heintzelman

Martin D. Heintzelman

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Patrick Walsh

US EPA, National Center for Environmental Economics

Dustin Grzeskowiak

Clarkson University - School of Business

Date Written: June 1, 2012

Abstract

To guard against urban sprawl, many communities in the United States have begun enacting policies to preserve open space, often through local voter referenda. New Jersey sponsors such municipal action through the Green Acres Program by providing funding and low interest loans to towns that choose, through a referendum, to increase property taxes and spend the money raised on open space preservation for the purposes of conservation and/or recreation. Understanding which factors contribute to the appearance and success of these measures is important for policy makers and conservation advocates, not only in New Jersey, but across the United States. Although previous literature has examined this issue, this is the first study to account for spatial dependence/spatial autocorrelation and to explore dynamic issues through survival analysis. The traditional two stage model from the literature is extended by incorporating a Bayesian spatial probit for the first stage and a maximum-likelihood spatial error model in the second stage. A Cox – proportional hazard model is used to examine the timing of referenda appearance. Spatial dependence is found in the second stage of the analysis, indicating future studies should account for its influence. There is not strong evidence for spatial dependence or correlation in the first stage. The survival model is found to be a useful complement to the traditional probit analysis of the first stage.

Suggested Citation

Heintzelman, Martin D. and Walsh, Patrick and Grzeskowiak, Dustin, Explaining the Appearance and Success of Open Space Referenda (June 1, 2012). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2121669 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2121669

Martin D. Heintzelman (Contact Author)

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Patrick Walsh

US EPA, National Center for Environmental Economics ( email )

Washington, DC 20460
United States

Dustin Grzeskowiak

Clarkson University - School of Business ( email )

Potsdam, NY 13699-5780
United States

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