Journal of Forest Economics > Vol 27 > Issue 1

Discussing the spatial dependence and the determinants of the municipal expenses of Portuguese forest sappers’ teams

Paulo Reis Mourao, paulom@eeg.uminho.pt
 
Suggested Citation
Paulo Reis Mourao (2017), "Discussing the spatial dependence and the determinants of the municipal expenses of Portuguese forest sappers’ teams", Journal of Forest Economics: Vol. 27: No. 1, pp 38-49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfe.2017.02.001

Publication Date: 0/4/2017
© 0 2017 Paulo Reis Mourao
 
Subjects
 
Keywords
JEL Codes:Q23Q58C21
Municipal expendituresForest sappersFirefighting
 

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In this article:
Introduction 
Forest sapper funding – a review of the literature 
Empirical section 
Conclusions, political implications, and further challenges 

Abstract

The costs of forest sappers’ teams are discussed in this work, using the present Portuguese model as a case study. The teams’ actions and expenses between 2000 and 2015 have been observed, and several hypotheses for the distribution of the shares of municipal expenditures on these brigades are discussed. Using spatial autocorrelation models, spatial autoregressive models, spatial Durbin models, and spatial error models, several original results have been achieved. A positive spatial autocorrelation in the shares of these municipal expenditures has been observed for the first time in the literature, revealing a mimetic approach among Portuguese municipalities that implies the need for re-arranging the current programs and regulations related to forest sappers’ teams towards an enlarged space of action.

DOI:10.1016/j.jfe.2017.02.001