2026/07/26 by Jonathan E. Hughes
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · Social Sciences · #Land Rights and Reforms #Property Rights and Legal Doctrine #Urban Planning and Valuation
paper · doi:10.3368/le.103.1.090225-0075r
crossref issued 2026/07/26 · crossref published 2026/07/26 · crossref published-online 2026/07/26 · openalex publication_date 2026/07/26 · crossref created 2026/07/26 · crossref deposited 2026/07/26 · crossref indexed 2026/07/26 · openalex created_date 2026/07/27 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
<h3>Abstract</h3> Rationed access is an important tool to promote sustainable use of public lands. However, online reservation systems can lead to “buying frenzies” when low prices create excess demand. Using transaction-level data for river permits in the United States sold both by reservation-system buying frenzy and lottery, I show successful frenzy buyers reside in wealthier zip codes than those selected at random. This effect increases with congestion and leads to an unequal distribution of consumption benefits where high-income zip codes receive 25 percent more recreational trip value. These effects can undermine park managers’ efforts to provide equitable access through low fees.