CBEAR Co-Director Paul Ferraro discusses a post-election reality: while politics may be dividing the U.S., many Americans agree on core environmental challenges, regardless of political affiliation. He supports this with evidence from three randomized field experiments. These studies examined the environmental actions of tens of thousands of people. They show…
Following the passsage of thebipartisan Roberts-Stebenow bill on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) labeling on food, allowing food containing GMOs to be labeled using so-called “smart labels” — QR (Quick Response) codes that lead to full information on contents, CBEAR co-PI David Just and CBEAR Fellow Harry Kaiser wrote an op-ed in The…
University of Delaware economists have published new research that shows how non-profits or charities can increase the amount of donations they receive. The key term to understand is “default.” Most of us, who receive salaries, are familiar with defaults in our paychecks — as the percentage amount by which we…
With the holiday season just around the corner and charitable giving on people’s minds, new research from the University of Delaware suggests that for organizations interested in increasing the number of givers and the amount of donations, the solution might be as easy as making a simple change in how…
How can the tools that quantify effectiveness of conservation be improved? Despite concerted efforts toward evidence-based and quantified conservation, understanding the effects and the effectiveness of conservation interventions lags far behind most other policy fields, such as poverty reduction or educational enrollment (Ferraro and Pattanayak 2006). For example, one of the…
November 30, 2015 – CBEAR co-Director Kent Messer & ERS researcher Jacob Fooks’s research on HIV stigma is discussed in an opinion piece published in the Huffington Post in recognition of World AIDS Day on December 1. Breakthroughs in scientific medical research have prompted AIDS activists and politicians to envision “an…
Research on food labels by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) reveals an increasing number of consumers want to know more about how their food is produced. Kent Messer chaired the new CAST Issue Paper on food process labels and says there are currently many different types of…
The Council for Agricultural Science & Technology (CAST) commissioned an Issue Paper, “Process Labeling of Food: Consumer Behavior, the Agricultural Sector, and Policy Recommendations”. CBEAR co-Director, Dr. Kent Messer chaired the task force selected to write this issue paper, and was joined by Shawna Bligh (Evans & Dixon LLC), Marco Costanigro (Colorado…
A new study shows the powerful effect of animal mascots—especially when people believe the animals are sad. Remember how Smokey the Bear explained that only you could prevent forest fires? It turns out he wasn’t just imparting sage advice to America’s youth; he was also tapping into an influential…
At this year’s Ohio Farm Science Review, extension experts from Ohio State University led a discussion on water quality. Ohio’s farming has been successful in 2015, with planting completed on time in near-ideal planting conditions. Furthermore, the early water quality predictions for the local waterways are also promising, due in…
