Statistics and economics can be used to develop solutions to a wide variety of problems faced by governments, corporations, non-profit organizations, and other entities.  The brief project descriptions below illustrate the types of methodologies that Dr. Leggett has applied in his recent analytical work.

• Characterization of outdoor recreation: Characterizing participation in outdoor recreation activities is often difficult when participants are not required to pass through a gate and pay an entry fee.  Dr. Leggett has organized and moderated focus groups, designed count studies, analyzed existing survey data, and developed new surveys to help government agencies better characterize outdoor recreation on public lands.  His efforts have focused on activities such as fishing, hunting, biking, hiking, boating, swimming, camping, and sight-seeing.  His characterizations have ranged from simple qualitative evaluations of existing facilities and activities to careful estimates of visitation levels at various sites. On several recent projects, Dr. Leggett has designed sampling plans that use automated vehicle or pedestrian counters to reduce data collection costs. 

• Use of random sampling to reduce project costs: Rather than collecting information about an entire "population," random sampling allows one to estimate population parameters using information obtained from a sample.  Dr. Leggett has worked closely with several clients to reduce analytical costs through careful random sampling designs. For example, for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, he designed a stratified random sample that was used in auditing payments made under EPA's State Revolving Fund.  For the National Park Service, he recently developed a multi-stage cluster sampling approach that will be used to characterize visitors to Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area.
  

• Experimental design for program evaluation:  The gold standard for evaluating the effectiveness of a government program is the randomized controlled trial (RCT).  In an RCT, impacted entities are randomly assigned to either a treatment group or a control group, and only the treatment group receives access to the government program.  Dr. Leggett helped design an RCT for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assistance to assist the office in assessing the impact of EPA compliance assistance on the behavior of autobody shops.  The three-year study involves an RCT evaluation of the short-term effectiveness of compliance assistance, a quasi-experimental assessment of the long-term effectiveness of compliance assistance, and an evaluation of the accuracy of telephone surveys through on-site confirmation of compliance information provided over the telephone. 
  

• Impact of environmental amenities on property values:  The selling price of a home reveals information about the extent to which the buyer values various characteristics associated with the home, including the amenities of the surrounding neighborhood.  By analyzing numerous property transactions, one can learn about residents' values for various amenities that are not typically traded in a market.  Dr. Leggett used data on sales of waterfront homes along the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay to evaluate the relationship between sales price and bacteria concentrations at near-shore monitoring stations, after controlling for various structural and neighborhood characteristics.  This allowed him to determine the extent to which waterfront property owners valued improvements in water quality.
  

• Economic losses due to park closures:  When parks or beaches are closed due to oil or chemical spills, governments often seek to assess damages associated with visitor losses.  Working closely with a small team of top academic economists, Dr. Leggett implemented several surveys designed to collect data necessary to estimate the economic losses resulting from unanticipated closures of national parks.  Dr. Leggett designed mail, phone, and in-person surveys that were implemented in several different states.  He used the data from the surveys to estimate the parameters of statistical models that describe how visitors would be impacted by park closures. 
  

• Economic losses from fish consumption advisories: As part of natural resource damage assessment efforts, government agencies frequently need to assess economic losses due to fish consumption advisories or fishing closures.  Dr. Leggett has used a variety of economic valuation techniques (including benefits transfer and random utility models) to assess losses due to fish consumption advisories on various rivers, lakes, and estuaries throughout the United States. 
  

• Assessment of public opinion:  Municipal leaders often find it challenging to explain voter behavior, particularly when ballot initiatives involve sensitive topics.  For the town of Gilford, New Hampshire, Dr. Leggett worked closely with the town administrator to develop a mail survey of voters to evaluate opinions regarding a proposed police station expansion, which had been rejected by voters in a recent election.  The survey asked for voters' opinions regarding the proposed expansion and solicited thoughts on town spending priorities in general.  Dr. Leggett selected a random sample of voters, assisted with the implementation of the survey, analyzed the data, and presented a summary of the results to the town selectmen. The survey results were instrumental in the town’s decision to postpone the expansion of the police station.