Estimating benefits and costs: a case of fish passages in Lao PDR and the development of the Lower Mekong Fishway Support Tool

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (9) ◽  
pp. 1284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethany Cooper ◽  
Lin Crase ◽  
Lee J. Baumgartner
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Lao Pdr ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Positive Outcome ◽  
Fish Passage ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Benefit Cost Analysis ◽  
Benefit Cost ◽  
Benefits And Costs

Fishways are often presented as a parsimonious way of assisting water infrastructure development in developing countries while preserving some ecosystem values. More specifically, fishways help preserve migratory freshwater fish species, which are often a main source of protein and other nutrients for many rural communities. To date, much of the literature regarding fishway development focuses on increasing understanding of the interaction between the fish populations and engineering interventions. Accordingly, there is limited analysis that considers fishway construction relative to the specific benefits and costs that subsequently accrue to humans. In this study we outline the development of a decision support tool designed to assist officials in the Lower Mekong evaluate the merits of constructing fishways to address barriers to fish passage. Arguably, the tool can also be modified to assess the avoided cost of building additional barriers that constrain fish migration. The Lower Mekong Fishway Support Tool (LMFST) is underpinned by economic notions and populated with input from experts involved in fishway construction. The LMFST is intended to provide indicative monetary estimates and does not replace comprehensive engineering and social analysis; rather, it guides users in assessing those locations and structures that are more likely to deliver a positive outcome for local communities. The LMFST is buttressed in benefit–cost analysis and encourages decision making to be more transparent and this is one of the major contributions of this work.

Accounting for the Distribution of Benefits and Costs in Benefit–Cost Analysis

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
James K. Hammitt
Keyword(s):  
Cost Analysis ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Policy Choice ◽  
Alternative Evaluation ◽  
Benefit Cost Analysis ◽  
Transfer Programs ◽  
Net Benefits ◽  
Benefit Cost ◽  
Benefits And Costs

Abstract Benefit–cost analysis (BCA) is often viewed as measuring the efficiency of a policy independent of the distribution of its consequences. The role of distributional effects on policy choice is disputed; either: (a) the policy that maximizes net benefits should be selected and distributional concerns should be addressed through other measures, such as tax and transfer programs or (b) BCA should be supplemented with distributional analysis and decision-makers should weigh efficiency and distribution in policy choice. The separation of efficiency and distribution is misleading. The measure of efficiency depends on the numéraire chosen for the analysis, whether monetary values or some other good (unless individuals have the same rates of substitution between them). The choice of numéraire is not neutral; it can affect the ranking of policies by calculated net benefits. Alternative evaluation methods, such as BCA using a different numéraire, weighted BCA, or a social welfare function (SWF), may better integrate concerns about distribution and efficiency. The most appropriate numéraire, distributional weights, or SWFs cannot be measured or statistically estimated; it is a normative choice.

Utility impact rating with subsurface utility engineering in project development

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (11) ◽  
pp. 1744-1754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeun J. Jung
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Cost Ratio ◽  
Highway Projects ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Benefit Cost Ratio ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Traffic Delays ◽  
Underground Utilities ◽  
Rating Form ◽  
Benefit Cost

A lack of reliable information regarding the locations of underground utilities can not only result in property damage, construction delays, design changes, claims, injuries, and even deaths but can also cause traffic delays, local business disruptions, environmental problems, and utility service breakdowns in highway projects. The subsurface utility engineering (SUE) is an engineering process designed to reduce the potential of underground utility conflicts at the planning phase. The SUE uses new and existing technologies to identify, characterize, and map accurately the underground utilities with three major activities: designation, location, and data management. In this study, a decision-support tool called the SUE utility impact rating form, which refers to utility complexity at the construction site, has been developed to determine which projects should include SUE and the appropriate levels of SUE investigation to be used. In addition, case studies with benefit–cost ratio have been performed to verify the form.

scholarly journals A retrospective assessment of the costs of EPA’s 1998 Locomotive Emission Standards

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Kopits
Keyword(s):  
Cost Analysis ◽  
Total Cost ◽  
Benefit Cost Analysis ◽  
Retrospective Assessment ◽  
Emission Standards ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
Data Limitations ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Benefit Cost ◽  
Benefits And Costs

Abstract:While the need to update EPA benefit-cost analysis to reflect the most recent science is broadly acknowledged, little work has been done examining how well ex ante BCAs estimate the actual benefits and costs of regulations. This paper adds to the existing literature on ex post cost analyses by examining EPA’s analysis of the 1998 Locomotive Emission Standards. Due to data limitations and minimal ability to construct a reasonable counterfactual for each component of the cost analysis, the assessment relies mainly on industry expert opinion, augmented with ex post information from publicly available data sources when possible. The paper finds that the total cost of bringing line-haul locomotives into compliance with the 1998 Locomotive Emission Standards rule remains uncertain. Even though the initial per-unit locomotive compliance costs were higher than predicted by EPA, total costs also depend on the number of locomotives affected by the regulation. Over 2000–2009, the number of newly built line-haul locomotives was higher but the number of remanufactured line-haul locomotives was lower than EPA’s estimate.

scholarly journals Integrated Undergraduate Management Education: An Informal Benefit / Cost Analysis

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 57
Author(s):  
William L. Casey, Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Cost Analysis ◽  
Management Education ◽  
Assessment Data ◽  
Benefit Cost Analysis ◽  
Core Program ◽  
Benefit Cost ◽  
Benefits And Costs

This paper seeks to contribute to the literature of management education by evaluating assessment data on Babson Colleges integrated undergraduate management core program (IMC). Transitions from functionally isolated curricula to more integrated alternatives involve both benefits and costs, accruing to faculty, students and sponsoring institutions. The relative benefits and cost of the Babson program are weighted based on recent assessment initiatives at the college.

An Analysis of the Private Returns From Three Land Development Options in the Southern Mallee of Nsw.

1999 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 244 ◽  
Author(s):  
DA Patton ◽  
JD Mullen
Keyword(s):  
Land Development ◽  
Net Income ◽  
Benefit Cost Analysis ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Benefits ◽  
Extensive Grazing ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Western Division ◽  
Benefit Cost ◽  
Benefits And Costs

In early 1993, the DLWC initiated a project to develop regional planning strategies for clearing and cultivation activities in the Southern Mallee and Northern Floodplain areas of the Western Division of NSW. Concentrating on the Southern Mallee region, a benefit-cost analysis of current clearing and cultivation proposals and their impact on the financial viability of the individual landholder has been conducted. While the development proposals all had the potential to return much higher levels of expected net income to farmers than the existing extensive grazing strategy, market and climatic uncertainty meant that the probability of the extensive grazing activity returning more than cropping was as high as 50% for some proposals. This means that farmers have to weigh up higher incomes on average from cropping against the more certain income from grazing. Clearly, this is a personal choice with the more risk averse decision makers favouring the extensive grazing option. However, we found that for levels of risk aversion that research suggests typifies Australian farmers, the development proposals were dominant over the extensive grazing option except where there was a higher proportion of land devoted to conservation at a discount rate of 12%. No attempt has been made in the present study to evaluate the public benefits and costs, in the form of changes in environmental resources, associated with such development proposals Key words: Western Division, conservation, clearing and cultivation, stochastic dominance, economics.

Adding Value with Benefit-Cost Analysis: Forecasting Net Social Benefit from Impacts of Slot Machine Gambling in Maryland

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-304
Author(s):  
Scott Farrow
Keyword(s):  
Impact Analysis ◽  
Social Benefit ◽  
Slot Machines ◽  
Benefit Cost Analysis ◽  
Net Benefits ◽  
Benefit Cost ◽  
Benefits And Costs ◽  
Machine Gambling ◽  
Distributional Impacts

The estimated impacts, benefits, and costs of legalizing slot machines in Maryland are analyzed building on and contrasting with results from an impact analysis. The analysis provides estimates of the components and the total net benefits to the state and its citizens; the role of uncertainty, distributional impacts, and a basic tax alternative. The results forecast mostly positive net benefits for Maryland both in comparison to doing nothing and in comparison to raising an equivalent amount in taxes. However, if slot revenue raised from the lower income population is given more weight, then doing nothing or raising taxes appears to be preferred.

scholarly journals The Benefits and Costs of Using Social Distancing to Flatten the Curve for COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Thunström ◽  
Stephen C. Newbold ◽  
David Finnoff ◽  
Madison Ashworth ◽  
Jason F. Shogren
Keyword(s):  
Economic Activity ◽  
Critical Parameters ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Benefit Cost Analysis ◽  
Statistical Life ◽  
Unknown Factor ◽  
Net Benefits ◽  
Benefit Cost ◽  
Benefits And Costs

AbstractWe examine the net benefits of social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19 in USA. Social distancing saves lives but imposes large costs on society due to reduced economic activity. We use epidemiological and economic forecasting to perform a rapid benefit–cost analysis of controlling the COVID-19 outbreak. Assuming that social distancing measures can substantially reduce contacts among individuals, we find net benefits of about $5.2 trillion in our benchmark case. We examine the magnitude of the critical parameters that might imply negative net benefits, including the value of statistical life and the discount rate. A key unknown factor is the speed of economic recovery with and without social distancing measures in place. A series of robustness checks also highlight the key role of the value of mortality risk reductions and discounting in the analysis and point to a need for effective economic stimulus when the outbreak has passed.

The Benefits and Costs of Slot Machine Gambling

2013 ◽  
pp. 636-669
Author(s):  
Scott Farrow ◽  
Chava Carter
Keyword(s):  
Cost Analysis ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Slot Machine ◽  
Additional Research ◽  
Slot Machines ◽  
Economic Welfare ◽  
Benefit Cost Analysis ◽  
Benefit Cost ◽  
Benefits And Costs ◽  
Machine Gambling

This chapter reviews the basic economic welfare criteria for slot machines, as implemented via benefit-cost analysis. More specifically, it provides a conceptualization of the benefits and costs of slot machines, as well as a scorecard for key elements of a benefit-cost analysis. The chapter also presents several illustrative empirical studies and discusses areas for additional research.

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