Jemrest




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Abstract

Adelaja, S. and Y.G. Hailu. 2008. The political economy of state conservation spending – the case of Michigan. JEMREST 5:113-123.

Natural and environmental resources provide a wide array of market and non-market benefits to society. Natural resources are “green asset” that can attract knowledge based workers that can further employment and income opportunities. However, the interactions between natural resources and the economy have not always been well understood by the public and policy decision makers. Resource degradation and development of sensitive lands to alternative development uses are signs of the consequences of this information and knowledge gap. This study focuses on studying the determinants of conservation spending and the conservation spending gap in the U.S., and particularly Michigan. It also conducts sensitivity analysis of state conservation funding to socioeconomic and political factors. The analysis indicates that: (1) that conservation spending in the U.S. is not primarily driven by natural resource endowment; (2) that economic conditions of states do matter for state funding commitment; (3) that political environment is important in determining conservation funding. These results collectively underscore the point that even though one expects conservation spending to be driven by the amount of resources to protect, it is found to be primarily driven by socioeconomic and political structures of states.