This text develops and applies a far-reaching account of the economic value of climate, derived from its amenity value or the benefits which a particular climate provides to the people of that region or country. As climate change moves higher on the economic and political agendas, reliable measures of the benefits and costs of specific climates and changes to them become ever-more critical. Detailed studies of a range of countries including Britain, the US, India and Russia, show that the mobility of the population is crucial. When individuals are able to move, the amenity value of the climate is reflected in land prices and wage rates. Without mobility, amenity values emerge in patterns of purchasing, either to compensate for the disadvantages of the climate or to make best use of it. Indices are generated for the cost of living as a function of climate variables, and optimal climates are identified to determine who wins and who loses from climate change.

Environmental quality is one of the most important issues faced by contemporary urban and regional policy. Amenities such as access to the natural environment, attractive neighbourhood characteristics and high quality public goods and services, play a direct role in determining where people choose to live and how much they are willing to do so. Likewise, negative environmental conditions, such as contamination, influence the real estate markets and the 'value' of a region. Increasingly, regions become winners or losers based on the quality of life they offer their inhabitants. Bringing together a team of leading scholars, this book addresses the issues of environmental valuation, answering questions such as: What kinds of features matter? How large of an affect do they have? How do they affect the spatial distribution of the population? And how should the value that people place on their environment affect urban and regional policy?

'This is an excellent book which significantly contributes to tourism research and education. It takes a rigorous yet readable style to address twenty five of the most pertinent quantitative and qualitative techniques applied in tourism research. the book will appeal to a wider readership of social scientists as well as to scholars of tourism as each chapter provides a thorough overview and explanation of the techniques irrespective of their tourism application.' – Dimitrios Buhalis, Bournemouth University, UK This insightful book explores the most important established and emerging qualitative and quantitative research methods in tourism. the authors provide a detailed overview of the nature of the research method, its use in tourism, the advantages and limitations, and future directions for research. Each chapter is structured to provide information on: the nature of the technique and its evolution; background and types of problems that the technique is designed to handle; applications of the technique to tourism, including discussion of studies that have used the technique and their findings; advantages and limitations of the technique conceptually and for policy formulation; and further developments and applications of the technique in tourism research. Handbook of Research Methods in Tourism will appeal to social scientists, students as well as researchers in tourism who use quantitative and qualitative research techniques.

Rising U.S. income and wealth in recent decades have fueled an increase in consumption demand for environmental amenities. Many observers and researchers have argued that this at least in part underlies current differentials in economic growth across regions. This collection of key articles addresses the issues and more.