Working Papers

The WNE Working Papers series has been published by the Faculty of Economic Sciences at the University of Warsaw since 2008.

The WNE Working Papers series provides a fast, open channel for disseminating research conducted at the Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw. The papers hosted here are working versions (pre-prints) and may evolve as authors refine their analyses, incorporate feedback, or progress through formal peer-review. What you read is the current version released by the authors, timestamped and assigned DOI/ISSN identifiers to ensure precise citation and version tracking. Copyright remains with the authors, who may, at any time, upload a revised file or add a note directing readers to a later, peer-reviewed publication.

The Working Papers series accepts articles by research employees of the Faculty and publications from conferences organised at the Faculty of Economic Sciences at the University of Warsaw. Articles should be original research papers which have not been previously published, on the subject of economics.

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Number of Results 10

WP(15/2026)509. Capturing zero-price effects in stated choice surveys: implications for willingness-to-pay and welfare

Authors: Tjiong Jeff, Dekker Thijs, Hess Stephane, Giergiczny Marek, Ojeda-Cabral Manuel, Czajkowski Mikołaj
Stated choice surveys commonly used in public policy appraisal – such as in transport or environmental economics – often contrast a ‘free’ status quo alternative against a range of (policy) interventions which can be implement…

WP509. Capturing zero-price effects in stated choice surveys: implications for willingness-to-pay and welfare

Stated choice surveys commonly used in public policy appraisal – such as in transport or environmental economics – often contrast a ‘free’ status quo alternative against a range of (policy) interventions which can be implemented at a cost. Limited attention has, however, been paid to the fact that the ‘free’ nature of the status quo (SQ) alternative may make the SQ alternative overly attractive due to the zero-price (ZP) effect. The ZP effect is a well-established notion in behavioural economics explaining the phenomenon that individuals tend to over-react to free alternatives. We present an experimental design setup allowing the separation of the ZP effect from the SQ effect together with the identification of non-linear sensitivities to costs. Choices made by students between different mobile broadband packages are used for illustrational purposes. Our analysis shows that the ZP effect is significant and the observed preference to remain in the SQ is largely due to the ZP effect. In practice, this may lead to biased welfare estimates for public policy packages if the ZP effect is not explicitly accounted for. Moreover, we also show that misspecification of the functional form for cost can lead to significant bias in WTP estimates and the ZP and SQ effects.


DOI: https://doi.org/10.33138/2957-0506.2026.15.509
Tjiong Jeff, Dekker Thijs, Hess Stephane, Giergiczny Marek, Ojeda-Cabral Manuel, Czajkowski Mikołaj
zero-price effect stated choice experiments status quo bias willingness-to-pay welfare analysis discrete choice modelling non-linear cost sensitivity Box-Cox transformation mobile broadband

WP(19/2024)455. The Effects of Emotions on Stated Preferences for Environmental Change: a re-examination

Authors: Yilong Xu, Czajkowski Mikołaj, Nick Hanley, Leonhard Lades, Charles N. Noussair, Steven Tucker
A large literature in behavioral science suggests that people’s emotional condition can have an impact on their choices. We consider how people’s emotions affect their stated preferences and willingness to pay for changes in environmental…

WP455. The Effects of Emotions on Stated Preferences for Environmental Change: a re-examination

A large literature in behavioral science suggests that people’s emotional condition can have an impact on their choices. We consider how people’s emotions affect their stated preferences and willingness to pay for changes in environmental quality, focusing on the effects of incidental emotions. We use videos to induce emotional states and test the replicability of the results reported in Hanley et al. (2017). Additionally, we employ Face Reader software to verify whether the intended emotional states were successfully induced in our experimental treatments. We find that our treatments succeed in implementing the predicted emotional condition in terms of self-reported emotions, but had a variable effect on measured (estimated) emotional states. We replicate the key result from Hanley et al. (2017): induced emotional state has no significant effect on stated preference estimates or on willingness to pay for environmental quality changes. Moreover, we confirm that, irrespective of the treatment assignment or emotional state - be it self-reported or measured - we observe no significant effect of emotion on stated preferences. We conclude that stated preference estimates for environmental change are unaffected by changes in incidental emotions, and that preference estimates are robust to the emotional state of the responder.


DOI: https://doi.org/10.33138/2957-0506.2024.19.455
Yilong Xu, Czajkowski Mikołaj, Nick Hanley, Leonhard Lades, Charles N. Noussair, Steven Tucker
behavioural economics choice experiments emotions stated choice experimental economics

WP(5/2020)311. Preferences for demand side management—a review of choice experiment studies

Authors: Gołębiowska Bernadeta
This review of choice experiment (CE) studies deals with the valuation of electricity supply attributes in the residential sector. We consider the willingness to pay and the willingness to accept changes in the electricity supply. The results could b…

WP311. Preferences for demand side management—a review of choice experiment studies

This review of choice experiment (CE) studies deals with the valuation of electricity supply attributes in the residential sector. We consider the willingness to pay and the willingness to accept changes in the electricity supply. The results could be used to determine consumers' preferences for demand-side management (DSM) programs and could serve as a reference for formulating policies. DSM is an option for constructing a low-carbon electricity system, improving energy efficiency, and achieving the sustainable development of an economy. The results from CEs justify investment in new solutions. The research shows that consumers are open to DSM, but they prefer simple programs to complex ones. Decision-makers could introduce DSM programs that enable power outages and provide compensation for households. The societal advantages of DSM are not obvious to consumers, so the implementation of DSM requires communication and more research on peoples' preferences.


Gołębiowska Bernadeta
choice experiments demand-side management energy households review

WP(7/2019)292. Role of information in the valuation of unfamiliar goods—the case of genetic resources in agriculture

Authors: Tienhaara Annika, Ahtiainen Heini, Pouta Eija, Czajkowski Mikołaj
The paper uses data from a discrete choice experiment to examine information effects on stated preferences for an unfamiliar environmental good, i.e. agricultural genetic resources. We define two groups of respondents based on their use of additional…

WP292. Role of information in the valuation of unfamiliar goods—the case of genetic resources in agriculture

The paper uses data from a discrete choice experiment to examine information effects on stated preferences for an unfamiliar environmental good, i.e. agricultural genetic resources. We define two groups of respondents based on their use of additional information provided in an internet survey, and model information use and its effect on individual preferences and scale using the logit and mixed logit models. Our findings indicate that both sociodemographic and attitudinal variables affect the use of information, with the respondent's age, gender, familiarity and perceptions of stakeholder responsibilities having a significant effect. The results show individual preference heterogeneity, but no significant differences in scale between the information groups after allowing the mean coefficients for the attributes to differ. Those who have used the additional information derive higher utility from the changes in the protection of agricultural genetic resources. Our results highlight the importance of genetic resource conservation and controlling for the effects of information use in choice experiment models for unfamiliar goods.


Tienhaara Annika, Ahtiainen Heini, Pouta Eija, Czajkowski Mikołaj
Agricultural genetic resources; Discrete choice experiments; Environmental valuation; Information effects

WP(6/2019)291. Drivers of farmers’ willingness to adopt extensive farming practices in a globally important bird area

Authors: Czajkowski Mikołaj, Zagórska Katarzyna, Letki Natalia, Tryjanowski Piotr, Wąs Adam
Agri-environmental schemes have become an integral tool of land use management policies in ecologically valuable river valleys, that are commonly recognized as very important bird habitats. When high adoption of extensive agricultural practices is no…

WP291. Drivers of farmers’ willingness to adopt extensive farming practices in a globally important bird area

Agri-environmental schemes have become an integral tool of land use management policies in ecologically valuable river valleys, that are commonly recognized as very important bird habitats. When high adoption of extensive agricultural practices is not only a political goal, but also a necessary condition for conservation of vulnerable ecosystems, understanding of farmers' preferences is utterly important. Therefore, we use the case of Biebrza Marshes – a wetland complex and one of the largest wildlife refuges in Europe, which is located in northeastern Poland – and employ stated preference methods to investigate farmers' preferences for adopting several agricultural practices, such as precision fertilization, crop diversification, catch crops, peatland protection, extensive use of meadows, and the reduction of livestock stocking density. Farmers' willingness to participate in selected practices is explained using farms' and farmers' characteristics, subjectively and objectively measured farmers' environmental knowledge, as well as by experimentally controlled information treatments about environmental benefits of agri-environmental contracts. The results provide new insights into the sources of farmers' preference heterogeneity and show how different motivations relate to participation in agri-environmental schemes. Based on the results and consultations with local stakeholders, we make recommendations for a more efficient design and targeting of land use management instruments, including future agri-environmental schemes.


Czajkowski Mikołaj, Zagórska Katarzyna, Letki Natalia, Tryjanowski Piotr, Wąs Adam
agri-environmental schemes farmers’ preferences choice experiments agrobiodiversity protection agri-environment payments for ecosystem services

WP(11/2016)202. Public Acceptability of Climate Change Mitigation Policies: A Discrete Choice Experiment

Authors: Ščasný Milan, Zvěřinová Iva, Czajkowski Mikołaj, Kyselá Eva, Zagórska Katarzyna
Our study examines public acceptability of the EU’s future mitigation targets. Using the discrete choice experiment, we elicit the preferences of about 4,098 respondents from the Czech Republic, Poland, and the United Kingdom for the GHG emissi…

WP202. Public Acceptability of Climate Change Mitigation Policies: A Discrete Choice Experiment

Our study examines public acceptability of the EU’s future mitigation targets. Using the discrete choice experiment, we elicit the preferences of about 4,098 respondents from the Czech Republic, Poland, and the United Kingdom for the GHG emission reduction policies that differ in four attributes: emission reduction target, burden sharing across the EU Member States, the distribution of costs within each country, and cost. The three specific reduction targets we analysed correspond to the EU 2050 Roadmap and deep decarbonisation policy (80% target), the climate-energy 2014 targets (40% target), and the status quo policy (20% target); each will result in a specific emission trajectory by 2050. Our results reveal stark differences between the three countries. Czechs would be on average willing to pay around EUR 13 per household and year for the 40% GHG emission reductions by 2030 or EUR 17 for 80% reduction target by 2050, and the citizens of the UK are willing to pay about EUR 40. Conversely, the mean willingness to pay of the Polish household for adopting more stringent targets is not statistically different from zero. The willingness to pay for adopting 40% and 80% targets are not statistically different in any of the examined countries. However, we found that the preferences in all three countries are highly heterogeneous. In addition, we provide an insight into the preferred characteristics of the future GHG emission reduction policies.


Ščasný Milan, Zvěřinová Iva, Czajkowski Mikołaj, Kyselá Eva, Zagórska Katarzyna
discrete choice experiments climate change mitigation policy consumer preferences burden sharing cost distribution GHG emission targets

WP(41/2015)189. Valuing the benefits of improved marine environmental quality under multiple stressors

Authors: Tuhkanen Heidi, Urbel-Piirsalu Evelin, Nõmmann Tea, Czajkowski Mikołaj, Hanley Nick
Many marine and coastal ecosystems are under increasing pressure from multiple stressors. In the Baltic Sea, these stressors include oil and chemical spills from shipping, nutrient run-off from land and invasive species. All of these pressures have b…

WP189. Valuing the benefits of improved marine environmental quality under multiple stressors

Many marine and coastal ecosystems are under increasing pressure from multiple stressors. In the Baltic Sea, these stressors include oil and chemical spills from shipping, nutrient run-off from land and invasive species. All of these pressures have been rising over the recent past. Increasing pressures lead to reductions in environmental quality, which produce negative effects on human well-being. In this paper, the choice experiment method is used to estimate the benefits to people in Estonia resulting from reductions in pressure from multiple stressors in the Baltic.


Tuhkanen Heidi, Urbel-Piirsalu Evelin, Nõmmann Tea, Czajkowski Mikołaj, Hanley Nick
multiple stressors Good Environmental Status marine and coastal water quality choice experiments oil and chemical spills eutrophication invasive species

WP(13/2015)161. The effects of emotions on preferences and choices for public goods

Authors: Boyce Christopher, Czajkowski Mikołaj, Hanley Nick, Noussair Charles, Townsend Michael, Tucker Steve
This paper tests whether changes in “incidental emotions” lead to changes in economic choices. Incidental emotions are experienced at the time of an economic decision but are not part of the payoff from a particular choice. As such, the s…

WP161. The effects of emotions on preferences and choices for public goods

This paper tests whether changes in “incidental emotions” lead to changes in economic choices. Incidental emotions are experienced at the time of an economic decision but are not part of the payoff from a particular choice. As such, the standard economic model predicts that incidental emotions should not affect behavior, yet many papers in the behavioral science and psychology literatures find evidence of such effects. In this paper, we used a standard procedure to induce different incidental emotional states in respondents, and then carried out a choice experiment on changes to an environmental good (beach quality). We estimated preferences for this environmental good and willingness to pay for changes in this good, and tested whether these were dependent on the particular emotional state induced. We also tested whether choices became more or less random when emotional states were induced, based on the notion of randomness in a standard random utility model. Contrary to our a-priori hypothesis we found no significant evidence of treatment effects, implying that economists need not worry about the effects of variations in incidental emotions on preferences and the randomness of choice, even when there is measured (induced) variation in these emotions.


Boyce Christopher, Czajkowski Mikołaj, Hanley Nick, Noussair Charles, Townsend Michael, Tucker Steve
choice experiments behavioral economics ecosystem services emotions rationality

WP(24/2014)141. Within- and between- sample tests of preference stability and willingness to pay for forest management

Authors: Czajkowski Mikołaj, Bartczak Anna, Budziński Wiktor, Giergiczny Marek, Hanley Nick
The assumption of the stability of preferences is a fundamental one in the theory of the consumer. Many papers within the stated preferences literature have tested this assumption, and have found mixed results. Individuals may become more sure of the…

WP141. Within- and between- sample tests of preference stability and willingness to pay for forest management

The assumption of the stability of preferences is a fundamental one in the theory of the consumer. Many papers within the stated preferences literature have tested this assumption, and have found mixed results. Individuals may become more sure of their preferences as they repeat a valuation task or purchase decision; they may also learn more about prices and quantities of substitutes or complements over time, or about other relevant characteristics of both the good being valued and alternatives in their choice sets. In this paper, we test for the stability of preferences and willingness to pay for attributes of forest management both within and between samples. The within-sample test compares a set of responses from individuals over the sequence of a survey; the between-sample test compares responses from the same people over a period of 6 months. We find that respondents? preferences differ more within a sample (comparing their first 12 with their second 12 choices) than across samples. This may imply that preference learning and/or fatigue effects within choice experiments are more important than changes in preferences over time in this data.


Czajkowski Mikołaj, Bartczak Anna, Budziński Wiktor, Giergiczny Marek, Hanley Nick
preference stability test-retest discrete choice experiments contingent valuation stated preferences forestry

WP(25/2013)110. Pirates in the lab. Using incentivized choice experiments to explore preference for (un)authorized content.

Authors: Ćwiakowski Piotr, Giergiczny Marek, Krawczyk Michał
We report a laboratory experiment aimed at investigating factors affecting choice between different versions of a full-length movie. In particular, we estimate the willingness to pay for a legal, rather than pirated copy and compare it to the impact …

WP110. Pirates in the lab. Using incentivized choice experiments to explore preference for (un)authorized content.

We report a laboratory experiment aimed at investigating factors affecting choice between different versions of a full-length movie. In particular, we estimate the willingness to pay for a legal, rather than pirated copy and compare it to the impact of such characteristics as picture quality or delay in delivery. We find a modest but highly significant preference for the authorized version. By conducting otherwise identical choice experiments both with and without actual experiential and monetary consequences, we conclude that the method does not seem to suffer from hypothetical bias. We also find that when the proceeds from legal sale are transferred to a good cause, willingness to pay for the unauthorized copy is reduced.


Ćwiakowski Piotr, Giergiczny Marek, Krawczyk Michał
digital piracy choice experiments
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