October 10, 2014/ 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
UCLA Luskin School Conference Room 3333
UCLA EVENT: An analysis on vegetable price in the wake of the fukushima nuclear accidentPresentation by Matt Kahn and Kayo Tajima of Rikkyo University
Since the Fukushima 1st nuclear power plant's explosion in March 2011, public anxiety about food and environmental contamination related to radioactive substances has widely spread. This article examines how the price of vegetables in the Tokyo Wholesale Market was impacted in the wake of the nuclear accident. A hedonic regression model to estimate the coefficient on the "distance to the nuclear plant" was estimated to contrast its effect before and after the nuclear accident, using a monthly panel data on price of cucumbers, tomatoes and broccolis from each of 47 prefectures in Japan. For all three vegetables, the price gradient with respect to the distance to the nuclear power plant was not statistically significant before the accident but became significant after the accident. Consumers' behavior to avoid purchasing vegetables grown near Fukushima and instead buy those grown in a distant area may explain the price gap.
www.environment.ucla.edu/events/245
Sponsor(s): School of Public Affairs