The Contingent Valuation Method in Excavation/Preservation the Ancient Eleusinian Sacred Way in Greece

The aim of this study is to estimate externalities created round a cultural heritage preservation site.A research was conducted concerning the ruins of an ancient‘Sacred Way’(Iera Odos)located in Attica,Greece.The sample of the research was 200 citizens(interviewees).It is used the CVM(Contingent Valuation Method)and Logit model of the regression analysis.The preservation of cultural heritage is entailing excessive cost(paid by people through taxation)while is a source of additional income for both,the State and the people,due to tourism.Since the evaluation of this good cannot be in market terms,authors apply a modified version of the CVM(Contingent Valuation Method).The findings show there is strong evidence that at the 5%significance level,WTP(against WTA)is a better preferred course of action i.e.,leaving the ruins situation as it is,performing only the necessary remediation,proceeding with radical restoration.All statistical processing of answers,obtained through a properly designed/circulated questionnaire,was carried out by Logit model regression analysis.The model gave significant(at 0.05 levels)dependence of WTPar(Willingness to Participation)on preferred course of action(i.e.,leaving the ruins situation as is,performing only the necessary remediation,proceeding with radical restoration).

Scale up in Public Economics

The purpose of the paper is to present a modified model of an internalizing external costs caused by the operation of a manufacturing unit in conjunction with the new reality created.The environment is characterized as a public good.Public goods are goods that provide benefits for society as a whole or part of it,usually regardless of whether the individual people are willing to pay to have these benefits.All entities,whether individuals or businesses or public agencies,have some financial resources with which they seek to achieve specific objectives(e.g.profit maximization).To achieve a specific objective,usually there are many alternatives and possibilities.To be effective,i.e.to utilize the existing resources in the best manner possible,should be selected that the solution maximizes the desired outcome or minimizes the required sacrifices.

The Divine and the Political Economy

The Invisible Hand Of Divine Providence in Christian Theology leads mankind continuously with teleological aim.Adam Smith’s“Invisible Hand of Political Economy”leads society to the highest level of prosperity,where the benefits of households,businesses and the state are optimized.Adam Smith,influenced by the Theology of Augustine and Thomas Aquinas,transfers the Hand of Divine Providence to economic life and lets individuals function on the basis of their own interest and the“sympathy”governing their economic relations.Two patterns run at the same time.The economic circuit is driven by the good choice of the invisible hand,and mankind is driven by the good providence of God.The purpose of our work is to present this coincidence of the two“long hands”of God and the Economy and the influences that the Philosophy of Ethical Emotions of Political Economy has received from Theology.

Economic Analysis of the Utilization of Disused Biomass from the Agricultural Activity in the Region of Thessaloniki

This paper aims to describe an environmental problem,the accumulation of waste biomass,which is a parameter of property devaluation and a reduction in the living standards of the inhabitants of the wider area of Thessaloniki.In this study,the respondents are 250 interviewees who answered the questions in the questionnaire.In the present study,the dependent WTA(Willingness to Accept)variable is determined in classes and is measured in an amount(currency units).After determining the minimum amount available to farmers(WTA)to participate in the collection and recovery of discarded biomass,averaged at€28.3.The economic analysis of the utilization of discharged biomass involves matching the environmental to the socio-economic benefit.A solution is proposed for the optimum disposal site of the discharged biomass by multicriteria selection including alternative options to address endogenous difficulties or external factors that necessitate a change in the first optimal solution.

The Law of Diminishing Returns in Determining the Environmental Cost of Mining in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Environmental standards,as independent/explanatory variables of C21 capital costing functions,may refer to parts of space that we want to control in order to protect subsystems that are particularly sensitive and/or importance.In these cases,we need a quantitative relationship that links the environmental characteristics of the source of pollution to those of the reference/control points.In this article we will identify the capital cost functions C21=f(Sf),where Sf is a spatially distributed parameter(e.g.BOD),characteristic of an environmental model.

An Application of ＇Willingness to Pay＇ Method as a Quantifier for Environmental Impact Assessment

The preservation/restoration of natural environment is frequently entailing excessive cost （paid by people through taxation） while it is a source of additional income for both, the State and the people, due to tourism. Since the evaluation of this good cannot be in market terms, it is applied here in a modified version of the CVM （Contingent Valuation Method）, which is used in experimental economics in order to investigate the significance that people put on this good and how much they might be WTP （Willing to Pay） for supporting activities concerning the preservation/restoration of Lake Kastoria. The WTP dependence on （i） external diseconomies; （ii） the expectations for property values＇ rise as a result of the restoration; （iii） the proximity of interviewees＇ residence to the lake; （iv） the opinion of the interviewee on the time and money spent to visit the lake; （v） the time and money the interviewees spent to visit the lake, as well as other dependencies （all taken as independent variables） are estimated by means oflogit, probit, logistic and linear regression models. The optimal concentration Copt of a pollutant in the environment can be determined as an equilibrium point in the tradeoff between （i） environmental cost, due to impact on man/ecosystem/economy; and （ii） economic cost for environmental protection, as it can be expressed by Pigouvian tax. These two conflict variables are internalized within the same techno-economic objective function of total cost, which is minimized. In this work, the first conflict variable is represented by a WTP index. A methodology is developed for the estimation of this index by using fuzzy sets to count for uncertainty. Implementation of this methodology is presented, concerning odor pollution of air round an olive pomace oil mill.

Experimental Learning with Questionnaire Distributionfor the Economic Evaluation of Industrial Pollution

During the 2016-2017 academic year,3rd grade Gymnasium students from the Hellenic College of Thessaloniki received experiential training for the subject of Technology.For the needs of the course,students conducted research regarding the economic assessment of industrial pollution.A questionnaire was designed and distributed in order for students to collect information from individuals and households in the vicinity which the project of interest could potentially affect.The questionnaire aimed at identifying the maximum willingness to make a financial contribution with the use of assessing Hypothetical Scenario Methodology,which precisely assesses the economic value of an environmental good,since value is directly linked to the respondents’expressed preferences.

Evaluation of Industrial Pollution by Means of Experimental Economics

In this work,a methodological framework under the form of an algorithmic procedure,including 28 activity stages and 6 decision nodes,has been developed for evaluating environmental impact caused by industrial activities.The main part of this procedure is a modification of the CVM(Contingent Valuation Method),which is heavily relied on survey-based estimation of WTP-WTA(Willingness To Pay/Accept,respectively).The survey may take place either under a strictly controlled environment or in situ and as-is(“laboratory conditions”or“field conditions”,respectively,in the terminology of experimental economics).Implementation of this methodology is presented,referring to three cases of industrial pollution(in three different sites)caused by:(i)a cement producing unit,(ii)an oil refinery complex,and(iii)an industrialized small city with an intensively polluted port,where several industrial units co-exist,all of them located in the vicinity of Athens,Greece.The results are interpreted/discussed and conclusions are drawn.

Autohydrolyzed Low-Cost Biomass and Adsorbent Aging

Autohydrolysis or self-hydrolysis or hydrothermal treatment of lignocellulosic materials like sawdust and straw is already used in bioethanol industry for water soluble fermentable sugars production.The main idea in this paper is the use of the autohydrolysis and other thermochemical treatments’solid residue as an adsorbent.In this study continuous fixed-bed-column systems were investigated.Continue-flow experiments were carried out on stainless steel columns with dimensions 15×2.5 and 25×2.5 cm.In chemical processing,a packed bed is a hollow tube,pipe,or other vessel that is filled with a packing material.

General Principles on Environmental Policy in Industrial Units

Within the environmental policy framework,one could distinguish two categories,both of which aim at the protection of the environment.The first category is based on the concept of reducing the use of non-renewable resources and energy,as well as on the replacement of“poisonous elements”and“hazardous”types of energy.This second category includes different kind of actions which tackle the issue of unwanted by-products of production and consumption.More specifically,it includes measures that aim at:conversion of leftover substances or materials(e.g.elimination of poisonous gas),utilization of leftover substances or materials,waste avoidance,reduction of waste production,waste“dispersion”which includes“decentralization”(disposal)and“centralization”(collection).“Decentralization”describes the process of controlled diffusion(emission)of waste in water,air and soil.“Centralization”involves waste collection into designated storage premises,which of course need to comply with certain requirements and regulations.

Batch Studies for Methylene Blue Removal and Recovery by Untreated Coffee Residues

This paper reports the practicability of using coffee residues to remove widely used basic dyes like MB （Methylene Blue） from wastewaters. The effect of different batch system parameters, namely stirring speed, pH, initial dye concentration and contact time were studied. Moreover, in continuous fixed-bed column systems, the effects of parameters such as bed-depth, flow rate and initial dye concentration were examined. The experimental batch systems data were simulated using （a） Freundlich, Langmuir and Sips isotherm models and （b） 1st order, 2nd order, and intra-particle kinetic models. The results revealed that the MB is fairly adsorbed on coffee residues. This process could be a low cost technique for the removal of basic dyes from aqueous systems.

Modified Contingent Valuation Method for Agricultural Wastes between the Areas of Peloponnese and Thessaly in Greece

This paper focuses on investigating the tendency of farmers in the greater area of Peloponnese as well as those on the greater area of Thessaly to participate in a program of environmental agricultural waste management.The aim of the present study is to investigate the level of amount WTA(Willingness to Accept)against which the farmers would be willing to allow anyone to gather and carry away the leftovers of their farming exploitation.To serve the above goals,the agricultural leftovers are evaluated by the CVM(Contingent Valuation Method)as an environmental non-market economic commodity.The specimen response on utilization of the rejected biomass was satisfactory,since a good percentage of the interviewees are willing to contribute to this procedure for a minimal of remuneration,although investigations of this type are novel for Greek reality.From this investigation,it is perceived by the society the importance of alternative utilization of the rejected biomass.It is concluded that the minimum amount each interviewee is willing to accept as minimal remuneration and is affected by the way these biomass leftovers are managed,the age of the interviewees and the area in which they live.Those interviewees who use such biomass leftovers in alternative applications wish to be remunerated higher compared to those who relinquish such leftovers.The ordinal logistic model is listed in a broader category of generalized linear models for arrangement data.

The Analysis of Dimensionless Magnitudes in Economic Science

An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other unit of human society.It includes labor,capital,natural resources,production,trade,distribution and consumption of goods and services in the area where human society is active.These factors give context,content,and determine the conditions and parameters with which the economy operates.When searching with data mining techniques to identify or find out dimensionless groups(DGs)in technical literature,it is possible to meet errors/faults/omissions concerning both,the form and the content of such groups.In the present study,a methodological framework has been developed in terms of a logical flow chart,including 11 activity stages and seven decision nodes,to acquire/process/store/retrieve knowledge for reconstruction and identification of these groups.Case Based Reasoning(CBR),especially modified to meet the needs of this work,has been used for tracing causality paths by similarity and making correction suggestions.Two case examples are presented to prove the functionality of the proposed methodology.Non-dimensional groups are used in engineering but can also be used in economic science.Through this analysis,we can calculate the scale of industrial processes from laboratory to pilot and then factory scale.Still through the study of non-dimensional groups,it is easy to calculate economies of scale embedded in the production process.Synergy savings and target economies cause economies of scale in a production process and reduce the cost of production per unit of output when production is increased.Non-dimensional groups can be a quantitative and measurable indicator for calculating and predicting economies of scale in an industrial unit.The same can happen in an economic unit providing services,that is,intangible products.

Pigment Adsorption Optimization in Various Low Cost Adsorbents

The applications of adsorption are very important.The following is a list of some of the most common:using the adsorption effect we can achieve a high vacuum in cases of low temperature at which the adsorption of gases from solids is intense.Regarding,the gap we can achieve is in the range of 10-7 mmHg.Another very important application of adsorption is the separation of a mixture of gases from a certain adsorbent,which has a separate adsorption capacity for each gas.In this way it is possible to separate the noble gases,as well as gasoline and hexanes from oil.The experimental diagrams confirm the validity of the Freundlich equation for dilute solutions with low concentrations.At the same time,from the aggregate diagrams of the dilute solutions,listed above,we observe:for graph 1 concerning the adsorbent materials we used we observe that the capacity KF has a higher value for the ground cork while the lower one for olive ash.Also,for graph 2 regarding the adsorbent materials we used we observe the n of the isothermal Freundlich has a maximum for olive ash while a minimum has for two materials lentil straw and ground cork.

Essays on Political Economy

This paper is about essays on political economy.These essays are about interdisciplinary proportions in the study of economics,the economic education as a communication laboratory between tax communication and society,determining the excellent number of students/three who participate in the formation of an innovative educational program for social relations between students/three with rational criteria,the tax obligations and religious freedom,the methodology from macro to micro economic analysis in education of management of environmental goods,the assumptive assessment method for assessing the will of citizens to participate in the excavation and restoration of the ancient theater of Lefkada,the public evaluation of aesthetic pollution in a democracy.Cooperation between the private and public sectors can improve the urban environment and the position of socially vulnerable groups by the“invisible hand”of the economy according to Adam Smith’s theory.

Execution of Measurements for Determining the Parameters Affecting the Thermochemical Treatment of Brine Treated Biomass and the Adsorption of Dyes

Brine is a solution of salt （usually sodium chloride） in water. In different contexts, brine may refer to salt solutions ranging from about 3.5% （a typical concentration of seawater, or the lower end of solutions used for brining foods） up to about 26% （a typical saturated solution, depending on temperature）. Adsorption onto activated carbon is the most widespread technology for the removal of pollutants from water and wastewaters. In this study, continuous fixed-bed-column systems were investigated. The adsorbents which authors use are： spruce （Picea abies） untreated, spruce modified by autohydrolysis. The column systems were filed with biomass at various initial dye concentrations, flow rates and bed-depths. The column kinetics of MB （Methylene Blue） adsorption on spruce （Picea abies） untreated, spruce modified by autohydrolysis was simulated. Economies arise when the facility that can use such adsorption materials is near a source of a lignocellulosic waste as agricultural residues, thus saving transportation cost and contributing to industrial ecology at local level.

The Opportunity Cost as a Critical Determinant Factor of the Cultural Heritage Monuments＇ Valuation： A Modified Contingent Valuation Method

The subject of this study, which involves two surveys, is to estimate externalities created round a cultural heritage preservation site by means of a CVM （Contingent Valuation Method）. The first survey was conducted for the ruins of ancient ＂Diolkos＂ located in Isthmus of Corinth, Greece using a sample of 200 soldiers. The second survey was conducted for the ancient theater of Lefkada, using a sample of 100 tourists mad locals. The results have been analyzed with Logit model regression. The findings show that willingness to pay （or participate） is strongly affected by opportunity cost and awareness of the site＇s history. Further, income level and education level play a critical role in developing volunteering activity.

Economic Analysis of Minimizing Environmental Cost Caused by Outdoor Advertising

The optimal consent ration Copt of pollutant advertising in the environment can be determined as an equilibrium point in the trade off between the environmental cost,due to impact on man/land/economy and the economic cost for environmental protection.These two conflict variables are internalized within the same techno-economic objective function of total cost,which is minimized.Last,sensitivity analysis of Copt as regards the impact of the increase of environmental information/sensitization and the decrease of interest rate reveals a shifting of Copt to lower and higher values,respectively,certain positive and negative implications(i.e.shifting of Copt to lower and higher values,respectively)caused by socioeconomic are also discussed.

The WTP Method as an Index of Taxation for Environmental Restoration in the City of Thessaloniki in Greece

The purpose of this study is to provide an evaluation of the possible criteria used by the people of Thessaloniki for the evaluation of public goods and the investigation of the benefits of the conservation and restoration of city structures affected by carbon monoxide.These benefits are expressed in monetary units by using the CVM(Contingent Valuation Method).The maintenance of the urban environment often entails excessive costs paid by the people through taxation.A city free of aesthetic pollution results in an increase in tourism.A portion of taxation paid by the citizens is allocated to cleaning the city.An increase in tourism provides the government with additional revenue through VAT(Value Added Taxes).The increase in the money supply is not significant enough to affect the inflation rate,but gives the government additional revenue for the maintenance of the city and additional resources to service the national debt.The evaluation of these public goods cannot be expressed in the private sector,so authors applied a modified version of the CVM which is a survey-based technique used in experimental economics.The study sample was 100 citizens of Thessaloniki.The objective of this study was to determine the citizens’of Thessaloniki WTP(Willingness To Pay)for this public goods.Furthermore,the objective of this study was to investigate the willingness of the citizens to pay more taxes for the conservation/restoration of building facades in the historic sectors of Thessaloniki.The main findings show that in a large proportion,28%of the interviewees are willing to pay,but those that are willing to pay significant amounts tend to prefer mild interventions to the buildings,while those(42%)that agree with minimal to null amount demand radical intervention.The latter group,also,considers any contribution of theirs to restoration as unfair,judging that this expenditure should be covered exclusively by the State.Last but not least,from a sociopsychological point of view,this attitude could be attributed to extreme personalities which tend to prefer more holistic and direct solutions(i.e.,no mixed strategy involving people and the State is acceptable by interviewees who considered themselves as having no further obligations after regular tax-paying);as a result,they think that the State is exclusively responsible to resolve the situation.

Holland＇s Method as a Material in Environmental Education

In this work, the Holland＇s methodology is modified for the categorization of human personalities by including queries （in the corresponding questionnaire that serves as an evaluation tool） investigating its responders＇ attitude as regards his/her willingness to be professionally engaged with the natural or/and anthropogenic environment. The population used as representative sample consisted of 250 students following courses at high school and university level. The quantitative methods used were descriptive statistics, parametric and non-parametric statistics hypothesis （on causal relations） testing, categorical semantics, ontological mapping fuzzy sets and interval algebra. The results obtained showed relative significant internal consistency at macro-level for almost half of the interviewees, but the dependence of answers to environmental queries on the rest responds to the rest queries was insignificant, indicating lack of specific knowledge and clarification of the corresponding concepts at micro-level.