1st Edition

The Ethics and Politics of Environmental Cost-Benefit Analysis

By Karine Nyborg Copyright 2012
142 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

144 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

144 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Putting a price tag on the environment is controversial. This book discusses ethical and political aspects of environmental cost-benefit analysis: why controversies must be expected, why they should be taken seriously, and how they can be handled in practice. Cost-benefit analysis is commonly thought of as a method for ranking projects according to their contributions to social welfare. The... Read more

Part I: Basics 1. Introduction 2. The Purpose of a Project Analysis 3. Types of Analysis 4. Efficiency Part II: Measurement of Utility and Welfare 5. Utility 6. Social Welfare 7. Equal Welfare Weights 8. Benefits Measured in Environmental Units 9. Disagreement. 10. Willingness to Pay for the Social Good 11. The Main Message So Far Part III: CBA and Democratic Decision-Making 12. Democratic Decision-Making 13. Sufficient Background Information 14. Indicators 15. Politicians’ Attitudes to CBA Part IV: Recommendations 16. What to Do? 17. Concluding Remarks

Biography

Karine Nyborg is Professor of Economics at the University of Oslo, Norway. In addition to her research publications, she has contributed to the debate on environmental cost-benefit analysis through her participation in several Government-appointed expert commissions. She will be the President of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists during 2012 and 2013, and is also a fiction writer.