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.

Please send your paper by e-mail: `7?I5*A&oFx2G+d\0Ym^iH#U'fC]#[X%.1ys!tQ3^!7G\KpbcVr*jK1W+ 

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Number of Results 14

WP(4/2026)498. Behavioral Biases in Stated Preference Valuation of Mortality Risk Reductions: Cost Vector, Anchoring, and Scope Effects

Authors: Zawadzki Wojciech, Andersson Henrik, Czajkowski Mikołaj, Hole Arne Risa
This study investigates how behavioral biases influence stated preference valuation of mortality risk reductions, commonly summarized as the value of a statistical life (VSL). Using a discrete choice experiment (DCE) combined with a contingent valuat…

WP498. Behavioral Biases in Stated Preference Valuation of Mortality Risk Reductions: Cost Vector, Anchoring, and Scope Effects

This study investigates how behavioral biases influence stated preference valuation of mortality risk reductions, commonly summarized as the value of a statistical life (VSL). Using a discrete choice experiment (DCE) combined with a contingent valuation double-bounded dichotomous choice and an open-ended follow-up, we elicit individuals’ willingness to pay (WTP) for cardiovascular mortality risk reductions. In a randomized design, we varied the cost attribute across three cost range treatments and manipulated information disclosure and feedback to examine three behavioral phenomena: cost vector effects (whether the range of costs presented affects WTP), scope insensitivity (whether WTP scales appropriately with the magnitude of the risk reduction), and anchoring (whether initial cost cues affect subsequent responses). Our results show that mean VSL estimates can vary by up to ~25% between cost treatments. Furthermore, WTP responses exhibit partial scope insensitivity – larger risk reductions do not proportionally increase WTP – indicating a deviation from theoretical expectations. Importantly, we find no strong evidence of anchoring: neither revealing all attribute levels upfront, nor starting with extreme cost levels, nor providing feedback on quiz questions significantly affected respondents’ choices or WTP. Our findings underscore the need for careful survey design. Even if VSL distributions remain statistically similar across cost frames, substantial shifts in mean magnitudes could be consequential for policy. We call for standardized guidelines on cost attribute selection and survey protocols to mitigate bias, ensuring that stated preference methods yield reliable welfare estimates for health policy decisions.


DOI: https://doi.org/10.33138/2957-0506.2026.4.498
Zawadzki Wojciech, Andersson Henrik, Czajkowski Mikołaj, Hole Arne Risa
value of statistical life (VSL) stated preference (SP) contingent valuation (CV) behavioral biases anchoring effect scope insensitivity discrete choice experiment (DCE) willingness to pay (WTP) mortality risk reduction cardiovascular diseases

WP(26/2023)433. The impact of justice attitudes on air quality valuation: a study combining factorial survey and choice experiment data

Authors: Bartczak Anna, Budziński Wiktor, Liebe Ulf, Meyerhoff Jurgen
In this paper, we investigate the effect of respondents’ attitudes concerning distributive justice in payments on their stated preferences for programmes reducing ambient air pollution in four cities in Poland. By combining two multi-factorial …

WP433. The impact of justice attitudes on air quality valuation: a study combining factorial survey and choice experiment data

In this paper, we investigate the effect of respondents’ attitudes concerning distributive justice in payments on their stated preferences for programmes reducing ambient air pollution in four cities in Poland. By combining two multi-factorial survey experiments, we propose a novel approach of incorporating justice attitudes into non-market valuation. In the first experiment – a factorial survey experiment (FSE) – we record justice attitudes towards payments. In the second experiment – a choice experiment (CE) – we elicit stated preferences for air pollution reduction programmes. As a modelling framework, we employ a hybrid choice model. The same respondents undertook both experiments in separate surveys one to two weeks apart, minimising the likelihood of biased estimates of the effect of justice attitudes on stated preferences. The results indicate a substantial effect of the justice attitude on the stated willingness to pay. The proposed approach could be used for joint modelling of justice attitudes and preferences in a wide range of fields, contributing further insights into their interactions.


Bartczak Anna, Budziński Wiktor, Liebe Ulf, Meyerhoff Jurgen
air pollution choice experiment distributive justice attitude factorial survey experiment hybrid choice model willingness to pay

WP(19/2022)395. Estimating environmental damages of a tailings dam failure: The case of the Fundão Dam in Brazil

Authors: Czajkowski Mikołaj, Meade Norman, Seroa da Motta Ronaldo, Ortiz Ramon Arigoni, Welsh Mike, Blanc Gleiciane Carvalho
We present the results of a contingent valuation study aimed at estimating the monetary value of environmental and cultural/heritage injuries caused by the Fundão (tailings) Dam failure in Brazil in 2015 as perceived by the Brazilian populatio…

WP395. Estimating environmental damages of a tailings dam failure: The case of the Fundão Dam in Brazil

We present the results of a contingent valuation study aimed at estimating the monetary value of environmental and cultural/heritage injuries caused by the Fundão (tailings) Dam failure in Brazil in 2015 as perceived by the Brazilian population. While the valuation literature considering mining-related externalities is considerable, valuation studies of injuries resulting from mining incidents are scarce and most available damage assessments apply market valuation methods while rarely considering environmental and other nonmarket-valued impacts. The flooding and the release of tailings from the dam failure led to injuries to  sediments, watercourse opacity, and oxygenation, changes in riparian morphology, loss of human life, mortality to fish and wildlife, changes in the food chain and more along the 675 km watercourse of the Doce River. This was arguably the greatest environmental and cultural/heritage  injury ever caused by a single tailings dam collapse. The study followed state-of-the-art recommendations for the development, administration, and data analysis of stated-preference valuation methods. The survey of a representative sample of 5,195 Brazilian urban households revealed that the average lower-bound willingness-to-pay estimate to avoid a similar incident in the near future was 137 USD and the parametric-based estimate was 230 USD per household, which aggregates to 7.96 or 12.91 billion USD, respectively. This corresponds to environmental damages of 176 or 295 USD per m3 of tailings released.


Czajkowski Mikołaj, Meade Norman, Seroa da Motta Ronaldo, Ortiz Ramon Arigoni, Welsh Mike, Blanc Gleiciane Carvalho
tailings dam failure nonmarket environmental damages contingent valuation willingness to pay

WP(8/2022)384. On the inference about willingness to pay distribution using contingent valuation data

Authors: Czajkowski Mikołaj, Zawojska Ewa, Meade Norman, Seroa da Motta Ronaldo, Welsh Mike, Arigoni Ortiz Ramon
Although contingent valuation (CV) is one of the main sources of estimates of non-market values of environmental goods, little guidance exists regarding parametric approaches for modelling CV data, which would reliably estimate willingness-to-pay (WT…

WP384. On the inference about willingness to pay distribution using contingent valuation data

Although contingent valuation (CV) is one of the main sources of estimates of non-market values of environmental goods, little guidance exists regarding parametric approaches for modelling CV data, which would reliably estimate willingness-to-pay (WTP) values based on binary choice, payment card or open-ended preference elicitation data, among others. CV studies often rely on relatively simple approaches to modeling stated preference responses, without examining alternative modelling specifications. Lower-bound, non-parametric estimates seem to be preferred in legal cases, while studies that apply parametric approaches often select a specification among a limited set of commonly used distributions. To enhance the reliability of CV-based WTP estimates, we propose to adopt a more flexible approach to parametric modelling of a WTP distribution, by considering a wide range of parametric model specifications. We demonstrate the advantages of the proposed approach using databases from two large CV studies: the eutrophication reduction valuation for the Baltic Sea Action Plan and the Deepwater Horizon natural resource damage assessment. We find non-negligible differences in WTP value estimates across models with different assumed parametric distributions, and we observe the variation in the values to decrease when only better-fitting models are considered. This emphasizes the need for cautiously identifying the model best fitting to the data, instead of choosing a specification ad hoc without taking into account alternative parametric distributions. Focusing on the best-fitting parametric specifications, we provide alternative WTP value estimates for the two empirical cases studied.


Czajkowski Mikołaj, Zawojska Ewa, Meade Norman, Seroa da Motta Ronaldo, Welsh Mike, Arigoni Ortiz Ramon
contingent valuation parametric modelling stated preferences willingness to pay welfare estimates

WP(20/2021)368. Does the framing affect the WTP for consumption goods in realistic shopping settings?

Authors: Brzozowicz Magdalena
In this study, I examined the influence of the framing effect on the valuation of consumption goods in realistic shopping settings. In four field experiments comprising 1602 shopping center customers as participants, I elicited willingness to pay (WT…

WP368. Does the framing affect the WTP for consumption goods in realistic shopping settings?

In this study, I examined the influence of the framing effect on the valuation of consumption goods in realistic shopping settings. In four field experiments comprising 1602 shopping center customers as participants, I elicited willingness to pay (WTP) for consumer products by manipulating framing conditions (positive vs. negative framing). Although my four experiments involved two different types of products (durable vs. fast-moving), two different types of framing (attribute vs. goal) and two different valuation procedures (hypothetical vs. consequential), their results were remarkably consistent. I observed that the framing effect had no impact on WTP for the presented products. In the light of both this study and the existing literature, I suspect that the framing effect is more likely to appear in solely hypothetical judgement and assessment tasks than in the context of eliciting consumer WTP.


Brzozowicz Magdalena
framing effect field experiment willingness to pay WTP

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(9/2021)357. Are Transboundary Nature Protected Areas International Public Goods and Why People Think They Are (Not)? Hybrid Modelling Evidence from the EU Outer Borders

Authors: Valasiuk Sviataslau, Czajkowski Mikołaj, Giergiczny Marek, Żylicz Tomasz, Veisten Knut, Landa Mata Iratxe, Halse Askill Harkjerr, Angelstam Per
Former studies have shown that transboundary nature protected areas are not perceived as pure international public goods by citizens in neighbouring countries that share national parks. In this study, we assess what drives the valuation of nature pro…

WP357. Are Transboundary Nature Protected Areas International Public Goods and Why People Think They Are (Not)? Hybrid Modelling Evidence from the EU Outer Borders

Former studies have shown that transboundary nature protected areas are not perceived as pure international public goods by citizens in neighbouring countries that share national parks. In this study, we assess what drives the valuation of nature protection on the other side of the border in two European transboundary nature areas, the Białowieża Forest and Fulufjället. Applying hybrid choice modelling, we account for people’s attitudes when eliciting their preferences towards transboundary nature protected areas, and examine the impact of attitudes on the degree to which those preferences are consistent with the international public good hypothesis. We found that the intention of visiting the foreign part of the transboundary area, appreciation of transboundary justice and altruism, were the main drivers, whereas suspicious attitude towards the neighbouring country, propensity to free-ride, and manifestations of ‘patriotism’ applied as international public good mitigators to a limited degree only. Value of an extending the protection regime abroad was still positive for Scandinavians, whilst for Polish and Belarusian respondents a policy aiming at extending the protection abroad would lead to loss of human welfare. Facilitating visits of the foreign part by enhancing cross-border access can be expected to shift peoples’ preferences towards transboundary co-operation.


Valasiuk Sviataslau, Czajkowski Mikołaj, Giergiczny Marek, Żylicz Tomasz, Veisten Knut, Landa Mata Iratxe, Halse Askill Harkjerr, Angelstam Per
International public goods national parks forest transboundary nature protected areas public preferences willingness to pay discrete choice experiment hybrid modeling

WP(1/2020)307. Valuing externalities of outdoor advertising in an urban setting – the case of Warsaw

Authors: Czajkowski Mikołaj, Bylicki Michał, Budziński Wiktor, Buczyński Mateusz
Outdoor advertising produces externalities, such as visual pollution, that have to be considered in cityscape planning. In recent years, opposition to excessive outdoor advertising in Poland has grown, resulting in the enactment of new regulations in…

WP307. Valuing externalities of outdoor advertising in an urban setting – the case of Warsaw

Outdoor advertising produces externalities, such as visual pollution, that have to be considered in cityscape planning. In recent years, opposition to excessive outdoor advertising in Poland has grown, resulting in the enactment of new regulations in 2015: The Landscape Bill. It allows local authorities to limit outdoor advertising in their municipality. We present the results of a stated preference study aimed at estimating the value that people attach to the reductions of outdoor advertising in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. We considered two types of outdoor advertising mediums: free-standing ads and on-building ads, alongside five levels of advertising reduction. We find that inhabitants of Warsaw prefer regulating and limiting the amount of outdoor advertising and we quantify their willingness to pay for such a policy. The most preferred level of free-standing ads was a 75% reduction, for which the people of Warsaw are willing to pay 5.6 million EUR annually in the form of increased prices and rents to compensate owners' losses. For on-building ads, total ban was the most preferred, valued at 11.3 million EUR per year. Socio-demographic drivers of people's willingness to pay are explored. Overall, our study demonstrates how stated preference methods can be used for informing urban landscape policies and adds to the ongoing debate surrounding outdoor advertising.


Czajkowski Mikołaj, Bylicki Michał, Budziński Wiktor, Buczyński Mateusz
Outdoor advertising public preferences stated preference methods discrete choice experiment willingness to pay

WP(26/2018)285. Benefit Transfer and Commodity Measurement Scales: Consequences for Validity and Reliability

Authors: Johnston Robert J., Zawojska Ewa
Non-market goods can be measured on cardinal or relative scales. Consider a marsh of two hundred acres, of which twenty acres would be affected by a policy. The same affected area can be measured in cardinal terms (twenty acres) or as a relative prop…

WP285. Benefit Transfer and Commodity Measurement Scales: Consequences for Validity and Reliability

Non-market goods can be measured on cardinal or relative scales. Consider a marsh of two hundred acres, of which twenty acres would be affected by a policy. The same affected area can be measured in cardinal terms (twenty acres) or as a relative proportion (ten percent of the marsh). This seemingly inconsequential transformation can have significant implications for benefit transfer across sites—a simple observation that remains unacknowledged by the literature. This article provides the first theoretical and empirical evaluation of variable measurement conventions within benefit transfer, deriving conditions under which different types of measurement scales are expected to enhance validity and reliability. Theoretical results are illustrated using an application of discrete choice experiments to coastal flood adaptation in two Connecticut (USA) communities. Empirical findings validate expectations from the theoretical model, with both suggesting that transfers over goods measured in relative units may substantially outperform transfers over goods measured in cardinal units.


DOI: http://doi.org.10.26405/WP/WNE/2018/285/026
Johnston Robert J., Zawojska Ewa
Benefit Transfer; Flood Adaptation; Measurement; Scale; Reliability; Stated Preference; Validity; Willingness to Pay

WP(17/2016)208. Using geographically weighted choice models to account for spatial heterogeneity of preferences

Authors: Budziński Wiktor, Campbell Danny, Czajkowski Mikołaj, Demšar Urška, Hanley Nick
In this paper we investigate the prospects of using geographically weighted choice models for modelling of spatially clustered preferences. The data used in this study comes from a discrete choice experiment survey regarding public preferences for th…

WP208. Using geographically weighted choice models to account for spatial heterogeneity of preferences

In this paper we investigate the prospects of using geographically weighted choice models for modelling of spatially clustered preferences. The data used in this study comes from a discrete choice experiment survey regarding public preferences for the implementation of a new country-wide forest management and protection program in Poland. We combine it with high-resolution geographical information system data related to local forest characteristics. Using locally estimated discrete choice models we obtain location-specific estimates of willingness to pay (WTP). Variation in these estimates is explained by the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents and characteristics of the forests in their place of residence. The results are compared with those obtained from a more typical, two stage procedure which uses Bayesian posterior means of the mixed logit model random parameters to calculate individual-specific estimates of WTP. The latter approach, although easier to implement and more common in the literature, does not explicitly assume any spatial relationship between individuals. In contrast, the geographically weighted approach differs in this aspect and can provide additional insight on spatial patterns of individuals’ preferences. Our study shows that although the geographically weighted discrete choice models have some advantages, it is not without drawbacks, such as the difficulty and subjectivity in choosing an appropriate bandwidth. We find a number of notable differences in WTP estimates and their spatial distributions. At the current level of development of the two techniques, we find mixed evidence on which approach gives the better results.


Budziński Wiktor, Campbell Danny, Czajkowski Mikołaj, Demšar Urška, Hanley Nick
discrete choice experiment contingent valuation willingness to pay spatial heterogeneity of preferences forest management passive protection litter tourist infrastructure mixed logit geographically weighted model weighted maximum likelihood local maximum likelihood
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