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 9

WP(25/2026)519. Biodiversity-oriented forest management aligns with societal preferences across Europe

Authors: Giergiczny Marek, Jacobsen Jette Bredahl, Glenk Klaus, Meyerhoff Jürgen, Abildtrup Jens, Taye Fitalew Agimass, Budziński Wiktor, Czajkowski Mikołaj, Draus Borys, Faccioli Michela, Gajderowicz Tomasz, Getzner Michael, Hackbarth Tom X., Janiec Piotr, Lundhede Thomas, Mayer Marius, McVittie Alistair, Oh Rachel, Olschewski Roland, Pereira Henrique M., Quaas Martin, Socha Jarosław, Strange Niels, Ščasný Milan, Valasiuk Sviataslau, Wasiak Adam, Fernández Néstor
Forests across Europe are undergoing rapid transformation as biodiversity loss and climate change reshape priorities for forest management. Strategies that promote biodiverse and structurally complex forests are increasingly advocated to enhance ecol…

WP519. Biodiversity-oriented forest management aligns with societal preferences across Europe

Forests across Europe are undergoing rapid transformation as biodiversity loss and climate change reshape priorities for forest management. Strategies that promote biodiverse and structurally complex forests are increasingly advocated to enhance ecological resilience, yet they are often assumed to conflict with societal preferences, potentially limiting public support for conservation and restoration. We examined whether forest characteristics associated with biodiversity conservation and climate adaptation are consistently valued by society across Europe. We combined a visual discrete choice experiment involving 11,622 respondents from twelve European countries with a travel cost model to evaluate whether stated societal preferences were reflected in observed recreational behaviour. We then integrated harmonized preference estimates with continental forest inventory and remote-sensing data to map the spatial distribution of societal values associated with forest ecosystem condition. Across all countries, respondents consistently preferred forests characterized by taller canopies, greater tree-species richness, heterogeneous age structures, and more deadwood. These preferences closely aligned with observed visitation behaviour despite substantial differences in geography, accessibility, and recreational traditions. Spatial analyses further showed that forests with greater structural complexity consistently exhibited higher societal value. Our findings demonstrate that biodiversity-oriented forest management and societal values largely converge across Europe, suggesting that many interventions promoting ecological resilience can simultaneously strengthen public support for forest conservation and restoration, providing a stronger foundation for adaptive, multifunctional forest governance under global environmental change.


DOI: https://doi.org/10.33138/2957-0506.2026.25.519
Giergiczny Marek, Jacobsen Jette Bredahl, Glenk Klaus, Meyerhoff Jürgen, Abildtrup Jens, Taye Fitalew Agimass, Budziński Wiktor, Czajkowski Mikołaj, Draus Borys, Faccioli Michela, Gajderowicz Tomasz, Getzner Michael, Hackbarth Tom X., Janiec Piotr, Lundhede Thomas, Mayer Marius, McVittie Alistair, Oh Rachel, Olschewski Roland, Pereira Henrique M., Quaas Martin, Socha Jarosław, Strange Niels, Ščasný Milan, Valasiuk Sviataslau, Wasiak Adam, Fernández Néstor
biodiversity conservation forest management structural complexity forest recreation ecosystem services discrete choice experiment travel cost method

WP(15/2021)363. Re-meander, rewet, rewild! Overwhelming public support for restoration of small rivers in the three Baltic Sea basin countries

Authors: Giergiczny Marek, Valasiuk Sviataslau, Kotowski Wiktor, Galera Halina, Jacobsen Jette Bredahl, Sagebiel Julian, Wichtmann Wendelin, Jabłońska Ewa
Baltic Sea belongs to World's most oxygen-depletes seas, so the region requires urgent mitigation measures to significantly reduce nitrogen and phosphorus inputs from land through rivers, which cannot be achieved without large-scale restoration o…

WP363. Re-meander, rewet, rewild! Overwhelming public support for restoration of small rivers in the three Baltic Sea basin countries

Baltic Sea belongs to World's most oxygen-depletes seas, so the region requires urgent mitigation measures to significantly reduce nitrogen and phosphorus inputs from land through rivers, which cannot be achieved without large-scale restoration of wetland buffer zones. The manuscript summarises the findings of the discrete choice experiment aimed at assessment of the preferences of Danish, German, and Polish citizens towards ecosystem services of lowland small rivers of the Baltic Sea basin. Our results suggest that respondents in all the studied countries are willing to pay substantial amounts to improve water quality in rivers and the Baltic Sea, as well as to restore naturally meandering rivers and natural riparian vegetation. Wild marshes and Wetland agriculture were equally valued as the most desirable options. Respondents systematically cared about the appearance of small rivers in their neighbourhood. We conclude that re-meandering, re-wetting of floodplains, and restoration of wild marshes or development of wetland agriculture could gain a lot of public support in Europe.


Giergiczny Marek, Valasiuk Sviataslau, Kotowski Wiktor, Galera Halina, Jacobsen Jette Bredahl, Sagebiel Julian, Wichtmann Wendelin, Jabłońska Ewa
Baltic Sea discrete choice experiment ecosystem services restoration small rivers willingness to pay

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(5/2019)290. Unraveling local preferences and willingness to pay for different management scenarios: A choice experiment to Biosphere Reserve management

Authors: Castillo-Eguskitza Nekane, Hoyos David, Onaindia Miren, Czajkowski Mikołaj
Economic valuation of ecosystem services has emerged as a valuable tool to promote conservation and sustainable land management. Our study adds to this literature, by reporting the results of a discrete choice experiment used to analyse local populat…

WP290. Unraveling local preferences and willingness to pay for different management scenarios: A choice experiment to Biosphere Reserve management

Economic valuation of ecosystem services has emerged as a valuable tool to promote conservation and sustainable land management. Our study adds to this literature, by reporting the results of a discrete choice experiment used to analyse local population preferences and willingness-to-pay for selected ecosystem services resulting from different management scenarios in the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve (Biscay, Spain). The ecosystem services considered include quality of water bodies, agricultural production, native forest protection, biodiversity, and recreation. The results indicate that the local population is willing to financially support a new management plan focused on the improvement of ecosystem health and landscape multifunctionality and sustainability, with recreation being the least valued ecosystem service. These findings may be used to inform conservation and management policies to maximize social well-being. They can also help to prioritize investments and allocation of funding and hence minimise land use conflicts.


Castillo-Eguskitza Nekane, Hoyos David, Onaindia Miren, Czajkowski Mikołaj
Ecosystem services discrete choice experiment social preferences economic valuation Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve

WP(21/2017)250. The problem of non-optimal management of urban green areas in Warsaw

Authors: Szkop Zbigniew
In his paper the author looks at management of urban green areas in Warsaw as a principal agent problem. In the study the principal is the City Mayor, while the agent is institution responsible for managing street trees in Warsaw (ZOM). While the Cit…

WP250. The problem of non-optimal management of urban green areas in Warsaw

In his paper the author looks at management of urban green areas in Warsaw as a principal agent problem. In the study the principal is the City Mayor, while the agent is institution responsible for managing street trees in Warsaw (ZOM). While the City Mayor is interested in enhancing the welfare of their constituency, the lower level officers do not have to be preoccupied with the same concerns - they are interested in maximizing their utility subject to some constraints imposed by their bosses. This is a standard hierarchical agency theory model. As the agent's contract is not incentive compatible, the theoretical "residual claimancy" condition does not hold, and the species composition is different from what it would have been if the principal-agent model implemented was incentive compatible.


DOI: https://doi.org/10.26405/WP/WNE/2017/250/021
Szkop Zbigniew
Principal-agent models urban trees ecosystem services

WP(31/2016)222. Economic valuation of ecosystem services provided by the Wilanów Park: A benefit transfer study

Authors: Zawojska Ewa, Szkop Zbigniew, Czajkowski Mikołaj, Żylicz Tomasz
The Wilanów royal residence – the palace, buildings, monuments and gardens located in the park – is a unique combination of magnificent architecture, historic tradition and nature. They provide multiple benefits to both tourists an…

WP222. Economic valuation of ecosystem services provided by the Wilanów Park: A benefit transfer study

The Wilanów royal residence – the palace, buildings, monuments and gardens located in the park – is a unique combination of magnificent architecture, historic tradition and nature. They provide multiple benefits to both tourists and inhabitants of Warsaw. In this study we aim at estimating the economic value of nature-related benefits of the Wilanów residence, namely the value of ecosystem services provided by the Park. We use a benefit transfer method and find the value of ecosystem services of the Wilanów Park at 500 thousand euro per year. This seems a significant amount, nevertheless it is much lower than the value of “services” provided by the non-biological assets of the residence.


Zawojska Ewa, Szkop Zbigniew, Czajkowski Mikołaj, Żylicz Tomasz
ecosystem services benefit transfer method Wilanów Park

WP(20/2015)168. Should we pay, and to whom, for biodiversity enhancement in private forests? An empirical study of attitudes towards payments for forest ecosystem services in Poland

Authors: Bartczak Anna, Metelska-Szaniawska Katarzyna
This paper investigates the possibility of forest policy changes in Poland. The main objective is to investigate whether, and to whom, the society would be willing to pay for providing biodiversity enhancement in private forests. The empirical eviden…

WP168. Should we pay, and to whom, for biodiversity enhancement in private forests? An empirical study of attitudes towards payments for forest ecosystem services in Poland

This paper investigates the possibility of forest policy changes in Poland. The main objective is to investigate whether, and to whom, the society would be willing to pay for providing biodiversity enhancement in private forests. The empirical evidence is derived from a stated preference survey conducted on the national level and analyzed using a multinomial logit model (MNL). Our findings show a rather strong potential for the implementation of payments for ecosystem services (PES) in private forests, even though historical and institutional conditions are not favorable. The results also indicate a significant role of environmental attitudes in viewing the national and local governments as those responsible for financing the implementation of changes in private forests. They allow to provide recommendations for planning authorities and decision-makers not only in Poland but also in the other Central and Eastern European countries, where payments for ecosystem services have no long tradition.


Bartczak Anna, Metelska-Szaniawska Katarzyna
biodiversity environmental attitudes forest policy payments for ecosystem services private forests

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(19/2014)136. Buying spatially-coordinated ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation on forest land: an experiment on the role of auction format and communication.

Authors: Bartczak Anna, Krawczyk Michał, Hanley Nick, Stenger Anne
Procurement auctions are one of several policy tools available to incentivise the provision of ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation. Successful biodiversity conservation often requires a landscape-scale approach and the spatial coordinati…

WP136. Buying spatially-coordinated ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation on forest land: an experiment on the role of auction format and communication.

Procurement auctions are one of several policy tools available to incentivise the provision of ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation. Successful biodiversity conservation often requires a landscape-scale approach and the spatial coordination of participation, for example in the creation of wildlife corridors. In this paper, we use a laboratory experiment to explore two features of procurement auctions in a forest landscape?the pricing mechanism (uniform vs. discriminatory) and availability of communication (chat) between potential sellers. We modify the experimental design developed by Reeson et al. (2011) by introducing uncertainty (and hence heterogeneity) in the production value of forest sites as well as an automated, endogenous stopping rule. We find that discriminatory pricing yields to greater environmental benefits per government dollar spent, chiefly due to better coordination between owners of adjacent plots. Chat also facilitates such coordination but also seems to encourage collusion in sustaining high prices for the most environmentally attractive plots. These two effects offset each other, making chat neutral from the viewpoint of maximizing environmental effect per dollar spent.


Bartczak Anna, Krawczyk Michał, Hanley Nick, Stenger Anne
conservation auctions spatial coordination chat in experiments discriminatory and uniform auctions biodiversity conservation provision of ecosystem services
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