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A basic proposition of 'agency theory' is that output-based performance incentives encourage greater effort. However, studies find that incentive schemes can distort effort if rewards for performance are discrete or non-linear. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Community Rating System (CRS) is a flood mitigation programme with a non-linear incentive design. Under this programme, localities are incentivised to implement a mix of 18 flood mitigation activities. Each activity is performance scored, with accumulated scores corresponding to a percent discount on flood insurance premiums for residents that hold National Flood Insurance policies. Discounts range from 0 to 45% and increase discretely in increments of 5%. With multivariate statistical and Geographic Information Systems analytic techniques, tests are made to find whether observed changes in annual CRS scores for participating localities in Florida are explained by non-linear incentives, adjusting for hydrologic conditions, flood disaster histories, socio-economic and human capital controls that can plausibly account for local mitigation activity scores over time. Results indicate that local jurisdictions are discount-seeking, with mitigation efforts partially driven by the non-linear incentive design of the CRS programme. The paper ends with recommendations to improve the operation FEMA's flood mitigation programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is conventionally recognised as a large-scale issue resolved through regional or national policy initiatives. However, little research has been done to directly evaluate local climate change action plans. This study examines 40 recently adopted local climate change action plans in the US and analyses how well they recognise the concepts of climate change and prepare for climate change mitigation and adaptation. The results indicate that local climate change action plans have a high level of 'awareness', moderate 'analysis capabilities' for climate change, and relatively limited 'action approaches' for climate change mitigation. The study also identifies specific factors influencing the quality of these local jurisdictional plans. Finally, it provides policy recommendations to improve planning for climate change at the local level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem: Solar energy has potential to solve many types of planning problems. Knowing where existing household solar energy users are located and what factors explain this distribution can help craft appropriate local policies. Purpose: This study analyzes the spatial distribution of households who heat their homes with solar energy across the contiguous United States. Methods: We use geographic information systems (GIS) and zero-inflated negative binomial statistical techniques to test three sets of geographic predictors at the scale of the county: environmental, economic, and sociopolitical. Results and conclusions: Descriptive, GIS, and regression results indicate that the expected number of households using solar energy to heat their homes increases significantly with the amount of solar radiation received, but that other environmental, socioeconomic, and political factors are also significant predictors. The number of solar households in a county is a positive function of wealth (operationalized as median home value), urbanization, and the percentage of residents in the peak period of the lifecycle-consumption curve. Having a solar energy technology provider in the county did not appear to be significant. Finally, we confirmed that households heating with solar energy increase with the percentage of persons who vote for the Democratic Party in presidential elections and with local government involvement in the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives. Takeaway for practice: Our model can be used to enhance adoption of solar technologies by showing which localities possess most of the attributes that predict solar use, but adoption lags expectations. This can help design efficient and effective local plans and incentives calibrated to local environmental, economic, and sociopolitical conditions. Research support: Portions of the data collection for this research were supported under Award No. NA03OAR4310164 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the Department of Commerce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While university‐level education is increasingly recognized as an important component of sustainable approaches to development, little empirical research has been done on the impact of sustainability education on student behavior. This study relies on an evidence‐based research approach to better understand how graduate coursework on sustainable development can facilitate learning and transform the perceptions and reported behavior of class participants. Specifically, the authors use ecological footprint analysis in an interdisciplinary graduate‐level course on sustainable development to make statistical conclusions about the degree to which education on sustainability influences students’ daily consumption patterns. The results of this study suggest that graduate‐level education can significantly increase the degree to which students behave in a sustainable manner as measured by their ecological footprints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]