In this note we discuss two alternative ways of undertaking a social cost-benefit analysis. One approach is the conventional one where benefits and costs are expressed in monetary units. The other approach uses an environmental asset as the payment vehicle. The properties of the two approaches...

Conventional cost-benefit rules typically assume that the alternative to the project under evaluation is “doing nothing” or “business as usual”. In this note we contrast this approach to one where the alternative is to provide another environmental good or service. We show that this...

Large data centers enjoy government support in many countries. These centers are not laborintensive, but energy-intensive, thus tending to push up electricity prices and possibly crowding out labor-intensive firms. In addition, when owned by multinational companies, profits are difficult to tax...

In this note we discuss how a cost–benefit analysis could be formulated in a second-best world where lump-sum taxation is not available. The question is how the government's budget is balanced. Different options are available. A value added tax or an income tax or a profit tax could be...

The value of preventing a fatality or (saving) a statistical life is an important question in health economics as well as environmental economics. This paper reviews and adds new insights to several of the issues discussed in the literature. For example, how do we define the value of a...

In analysis of atemporal models, comparative statics experiments are typically carried out, often employing envelope properties, such as Roy's identity, Hotelling's lemma and Shephard's lemma, in order to simplify the analysis. In analysis of dynamic models, such experiments are seldom...

In this study we report an attempt to measure the value adult Swedes impute to an increased survival probability at high ages. A rating scale between the worst possible quality of life (=1) and the best possible quality of life (=10) is used to indicate the quality of life a person expects to...

In this paper, we develop a simple model of the benefits and costs of being on a waiting list. The model shows that complex factors are in operation, implying that a shorter waiting time need not necessarily be preferred to a longer waiting time. We also present an empirical study, where a...

This study addresses the question of willingness to pay (WTP) for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in order to alleviate menopayusal symptoms. A utility model is specified where the individual obtains utility from consumption of goods and health. The purchase of a treatment is represented as a...