Camp Resources XVIII

Camp Resources XVIII returned to the Blockade-Runner Beach Resort in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina in 2011. A full schedule may be found here.

A highlight of Camp Resources XVIII was the extended, 3-session tutorial on non-parametric regression in “R”. Dr. Parmeter prepared a document providing an intro to R, available here. The code for the tutorial sessions is also available here.

In addition to the files above (and the code discussed in the next paragraph), Dr. Parmeter has prepared a set of notes on nonparametric regression (notes.pdf), slides to accompany his discussion (slides), and code that generates the figures used (notes.R).

Dr. Parmeter’s tutorial included an overview of his recent research on nonparametric regression/inference and hands-on exercises in R. The code to implement constrained kernel estimation, implement a model evaluation exercise, and conduct gradient based bandwidth selection was provided and is available below.
Cowboy_First.R / Cowboy_Mean.R / Cowboy_RTS.R / Frontier.R / lib_lp.R /modeval_bwsaling.R / Boston_GBCV.R /

The four papers upon which Dr. Parmeter’s discussions were drawn are linked here:

Gradient Based Smoothing Parameter Selection for Nonparametric Regression Estimation
(Slides)
Constrained Nonparametric Kernel Regression: Estimation and Inference
(Slides)
Data-Driven Model Evaluation: A Test for Revealed Performance
(Slides)
A Nonparametric Wald Test of General Nonlinear Restrictions
(no slides available)

Finally, Dr. Parmeter provided a wrap-up and discussed Sweave, a writing environment that combines R and Latex, as well as RStudio. The slides are available here.

This year’s faculty mentor was DR. STEPHEN POLASKY, Fesler Lampert Professor of Ecological and Environmental Economics in the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Polasky provided feedback to presenters and presented an overview of his current research interests.  In addition, Camp Resources enjoyed support from an outstanding community of environmental and resource economists at NC State, Duke, RTI International, and throughout North Carolina and the Southeast who regularly attend the workshop.

Below you will find links to the presentations and papers (when available) for each of the sessions and proceedings.

Session #1: Climate

“Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Waste and Recycling Policy”
Kaylee Acuff, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO
Daniel Kaffine, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO

“Climate Change, Livestock Management Change and Adaptation Strategies”
Jianhong E. Mu, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
Bruce A. McCarl, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

“Learning, Growth and Positive Climate Feedbacks”
Zhuo Tan, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL

“Civil Wars and Climate Change”
Toni Sipic, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR

Session #2, Autos

“The Impact of Fuel Economy Regulation in India”
Randy Chugh, University of Maryland, College Park, MD

“The Effect of the 1979 Oil Price Shock on Auto Emissions”
Melanie Cozad, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
Jacob LaRiviore, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

“Evaluating Policy Options for Improving Automobile Fuel Economy”
Takahiko Kiso, University of Maryland, College Park, MC

Session # 3, Resources

“Environmental Law in the Amazon: Testing Impacts on Land-Use Dynamics Using Spatial Panel Models”
Pedro Pires de Matos, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Erin O. Sills, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

“Marine Reserves as a Cooperation Mechanism in Transboundary Fisheries”
Christopher Costello, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
Rebecca Toseland, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA

“Spatial Dynamics of Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemics with Optimal Forest Management” Charles Sims, Utah State University, Logan, UT
David Aadland, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY

Session # 4, Land Use

“Estimating the General Equilibrium Welfare Effects of Environmental Gentrification”
Ralph Mastromonaco, Duke University, Durham, NC

“Searching for the Rural-Urban Fringe: A Nonparametric Model of Structural Change in Exurban Land Conversion”
Douglas Wrenn, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

The Impact of Wildlife Refuges on Residential Property Values: A National Analysis”
Xiangping Liu, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Laura Taylor, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Timothy Hamilton, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Peter Grigelis, Office of Policy, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.

“Evaluating the Impact of Protected Areas on Ecosystem Services in Indonesia: In Search of Spatial Complementarities”
Daniela Miteva, Duke University, Durham, NC
Brian Murray, Duke University, Durham, NC
Subhrendu Pattanayak, Duke University, Durham, NC

Session #5, Policy

“Estimating the Impact of an Oil Spill Liability Rule”
Peter Maniloff, Duke University, Durham, NC

“Negative Leakage”
Daniel H. Karney, University of Illinois-Urbana, Champaign, IL
Don Fullerton, University of Illinois-Urbana, Champaign, IL
Kathy Baylis, University of Illinois-Urbana, Champaign, IL

“Environmental Regulation, Air Quality and Free-Riding: Evidence from the U.S. Clean Air Act”
Branko Boskovic, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Session # 6, Water

“Comparing Experimental and Non-experimental Evaluation Designs Using a Large-Scale Randomized Experiment in Environmental Policy”
Paul J. Ferraro, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
Juan Jose Miranda Montero, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA

“Rebate Programs for Water Efficient Appliances: Are Municipalities Just Flushing Money Down the Drain?”
Lori Bennear, Duke University, Durham, NC
Jonathan Lee, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Laura Taylor, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

“Who Reduces Consumption in Response to Non-price Water Conservation Policies? Evidence from Micro-data linking Household Demographics and Water Consumption”
Casey Wichman, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Laura Taylor, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Roger von Haefen, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

Session # 7, Research Sketches

Lala Ma, Duke University, Durham, NC 
Sofia Kotsiri, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Katherine Zipp University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Bruno Wichmann, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
Olli-Pekka Kuusela, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA
Xiaomei Chen, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Weiwei Liu, State University of New York at Binghamton, NY
Jie Sheng Tan, Duke University, Durham, NC