Contact

Over the past five years I have focused primarily on the use and development of non-market valuation techniques such as contingent valuation and conjoint analyses. I have used these methods to estimate the economic value of several wildlife species, ecosystem management of forests, wetlands, and recreation on public lands. I am particularly interested in studying the sensitivity of value estimates to the type of methodology used and implications for decision making and natural resource damage assessments. Are people really able to value natural resources they never see or use? What motivates them to do so? Why do conjoint and contingent valuation results usually differ? Which method is best? How can these techniques be modified to produce better results? How should the results be interpreted and used in decision making and natural resource damage assessments?

I am also interested in water resources, outdoor recreation and energy.

Recent Publications

Non-Market Valuation Techniques

  • Stevens, T., M. Tabatabaei, and D. Lass. 2013. “Oaths and Hypothetical Bias.” Journal of Environmental Management. 127:135‐141.
  • Lindsay, M., T. Stevens, D. Kittredge, and Butler. 2011. “Barriers to Massachusetts Forest Landowner Participation in Carbon Markets.” Ecological Economics. 71:180‐190.
  • Murphy, J., T. Stevens, and L. Yadav. 2010. “A comparison of Induced Value and Home‐grown Value Experiment to Test for Hypothetical Bias in Contingent Valuation.” Environmental and Resource Economics. 47(1):111‐123.
  • More, T., B. Urdaneta and T. Stevens.  2008.  “Shifting Park Policies and Local People:  A Case Study of Acadia National Park.”  Journal of Park and Recreation Administration.  26(4):105-125.
  • LeVert, M., T. Stevens and D. Kittredge.  “Willingness to Sell Conservation Easements.”  Journal of Forest Economics.  (In Press).
  • Samnaliev, M., T. Stevens, and T. More.  2006.  “A Comparison of Certainty Calibration Techniques in Contingent Valuation.”  Ecological Economics.  57(3):507-519.
  • Stevens, T.  2005.  “Can Stated Preference Valuations Help Improve Environmental Decision Making?” Choices.  20(3).
  • Murphy, J., P. Allen, T. Stevens, and D. Weatherhead. 2005. "A Meta-Analysis of Hypothetical Bias in Stated Preference Valuation." Environmental and Resource Economics. 30:313-325.
  • Murphy, J., T. Stevens, and D. Weatherhead. 2005. "Is Cheap Talk Effective at Eliminating Hypothetical Bias in a Provision Point Mechanism?" Environmental and Resource Economics. 30:327-343.
  • Murphy, J. and T. Stevens. 2004. "Contingent Valuation, Hypothetical Bias and Experimental Economics." Agricultural and Resource Economics Review. 33(2):271-281.
  • Cushman, C., B. Field, D. Lass, and T. Stevens. 2004. "External Costs from Island Visitation." Tourism Economics. 10(2):207-219.
  • Halstead, J. and T. Stevens. 2004. "Electricity Deregulation and Visibility in Wilderness Areas: A Case Study." Journal of Regional Policy and Analysis. 34(1):85-88.
  • Stevens, T.H., S. White, D. Kittredge, and D. Dennis. 2002. "Factors Affecting NIPF Landowner Participation in Management Programs." Journal of Forest Economics. 8:169-184.
  • Kiosowski, T., T. Stevens, D. Kittredge and D. Dennis. "Economic Incentives for Coordinated Management of Forest Land." Forest Policy and Economics. 2, 2001, pp 29-38.
  • Stevens, Thomas H., D. Dennis, D. Kittredge, and M Rickenbach. "Attitudes and Preferences toward Co-operative Agreements for Management of Private Forestland in the Northeastern United States."Journal of Environmental  Management. 55, 1999, pp 81-90.
  • Stevens, Thomas H., R. Belkner, D. Dennis, R. Kittredge, and C. Willis. "Comparison of Contingent Valuation and Conjoint Analysis in Ecosystem Management." Ecological Economics. 32(1), 2000, pp 63-74.
  • More, Thomas A., James R. Averill, and Thomas H. Stevens. "Values and Economics in Environmental Management: A Perspective and Critique. "Journal of Environmental Management 48(4), 1996, pp 397-409.
  • Stevens, Thomas H., Nichole E. DeCoteau, and Cleve E. Willis. "Sensitivity of Contingent Valuation to Alternative Payment Schedules." Land Economics 73(1), 1997, pp 140-148.
  • Stevens, Thomas H., C. Barrett, and C. Willis. "Conjoint Analysis of Groundwater Protection Programs."Agricultural and Resource Economics Review 27(2), 1997, pp 229-236.
  • Stevens, Thomas H., Samuel Benin, Joseph S. Larson. "Public Attitudes and Economic Values For Wetland Preservation in New England." Wetlands 15(3), 1995, pp 226-231.
  • Stevens, Thomas H., Thomas A. More and Ronald J. Glass. "Public Attitudes About Coyotes in New England." Society and Natural Resources Journal 7, 1994, pp 57-66.
  • Stevens, T.H., T. More and R. Glass. "Interpretation and Temporal Stability of CV Bids for Wildlife Existence: A Panel Study." Land Economics 70(3), 1994, pp 355-63.
  • Halstead, John, A. Luloff and Thomas H. Stevens. "Protest Bidders in Contingent Valuation." Northeast Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics October, 1992:160-169.
  • Stevens, T.H., J. Echeverria, R. Glass, T. Hager and T. More. "Measuring the Existence Value of Wildlife: What Do CVM Estimates Really Show?" Land Economics 64(4), 1991:390-400.
  • Stevens, T.H., R. Glass, T. More and J. Echeverria. "Wildlife Recovery: Is Benefit-Cost Analysis Appropriate?" Journal of Environmental Management Vol. 33, 1991:327-334.

Water Resources, Outdoor Recreation and Energy Economics

  • More T., and T.H. Stevens. "Do User Fees Exclude Low-Income People From Resource Based Recreation?" Journal of Leisure Research. 32(3), 2000, pp 341-357.
  • Stevens, T.H., Jonathan Miller and Cleve Willis. "Effect of Price Structure on Residential Water Demand." Water Resources Bulletin Vol. 28(4), August 1992, pp 681-685.
  • Male, J., J. Moriarty, T.H. Stevens and C. Willis. "Water Supply Costs for Small Public Utilities." Water Resources Bulletin 27(3), June 1991, pp 521-526.
  • Stevens, T.H., T. More and P.G. Allen. "Pricing Policies for Public Day-Use Outdoor Recreation Facilities." Journal of Environmental Management. Vol. 28, 1989, pp 43-52.
  • Stevens, T.H. and Gail Adams. "Testing For Changes in the Price Elasticity of Residential Electricity Demand." Northeastern Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics Vol. 15, October 1986, pp 123-129.
  • Young, T., T.H. Stevens and C. Willis. "Asymmetry in the Residential Demand for Electricity." TheEnergy Journal Vol. 4, Spring 1984, pp 153-162.

Recent Activities

I teach two courses in our undergraduate program, Introductory Micro-Economic Theory, and Benefit-Cost Analysis of Natural Resource Programs. I also teach a course in our graduate program titled Resource and Environmental Economics.

My outreach activities include work with several federal and state agencies including the USDA Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the EPA. I am a member of the Science Peer Review Committee for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs and a member of a regional research project (W-133) "Benefits and Costs Transfer In Natural Resource Planning".