心理参照点、支付意愿与灌溉水价--以四川省20县区567户农民为例

Psychological Reference Point, Willingness to Pay and Irrigation Water Price: Evidence of 567 Farmers from 20 Counties in Sichuan

本文首次结合条件价值支付意愿和行为经济学的心理参照点理论考察了农民灌溉水价的心理决策机理。研究发现:农民的心理参照点水价是影响其灌溉水费支付行为的重要微观心理因子。通过对四川省21县区567份样本数据分析发现,样本区农民(92.06%)的心理参照点水价等于零或小于实际水价是水费政策执行难的直接微观心理原因;近期政府"既免又补"的农业政策影响和降低了农民的心理参照点水价,导致了税费改革后水费执行难度加大;同时,受教育时间、性别、去年家庭开支、去年水稻收入、水价制订是否公平等因素也会不同程度地影响农民的心理参照点水价,这些因素的变化也会影响农民心理参照点水价的水平。本文的政策启示主要包括政府政策应考虑农民心理决策机理,政策应注重农民权利与义务并重,着力提高农民的心理参照点水价等。文后还指出了值得进一步研究的不足与启示。

It is very significant to understand why currently farmers are unwilling to pay for irrigation water, and why both farmers' willingness to pay irrigation water and its collection rate will decrease even when agricultural tax had been canceled. We firstly incorporate reference point theory from behavioral economics and willingness to pay from contingent valuation method to illuminate farmers' psychological decision- making mechanism regarding irrigation water price. It suggests that irrigation Water Price of Reference Point(WPRP) is an essential explanatory factor to understand their behaviors. Through empirical analysis of 567 survey data from 20 counties in Sichuan, we find that WPRP=0 and WPRP <AWP(Actual Irrigation Price) of farmers account for up to 92.06% of total, which is the direct microscopic psychological cause to tough situation in implementing irrigation charges. And both taxes exemption and subsidy in recent agricultural policies contribute to decrease of farmers' WPRP, which directly forms farmers' dependable psychological reliability on governments, inducing exacerbating implementation of irrigation charges after reforms of agricultural taxes in China. And farmers' gender and education level,income of paddy planting and household expenses of last year, along with their sensitivity about fairness in water pricing etc., to some different extent, would affect their WPRP. These factors will also influence WPRP with fluctuation. Main implications include that when making policies we should take account farmers' psychological decision- making mechanisms and highlight both farmers' rights and obligations concurrently, and improve farmers' WPRP as well. Lastly, research deficiencies and enlightenments worthy for future research have been indicated.