A Multiple Account Framework For Cost-Benefit Analysis

The paper presents a spreadsheet-based multiple account approach to cost-benefit analysis which incorporates all the usual concerns of cost-benefit analysts such as shadow-pricing to account for market failure, distribution of net benefits, sensitivity and risk analysis, cost of public funds, and environmental effects. The approach offers a number of advantages to both analysts and decision-makers, including transparency, a check on internal consistency and a detailed summary of project net benefits disaggregated by stakeholder group.