IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/urbstu/v41y2004i8p1567-1585.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Valuing Air Pollution Mortality in China's Cities

Author

Listed:
  • Victor Brajer

    (Department of Economics, California State University-Fullerton, Fullerton, California 92834, USA, vbrajer@fullerton.edu)

  • Robert W. Mead

    (Department of Economics, California State University-Fullerton, Fullerton, California 92834, USA, rmead@fullerton.edu)

Abstract

Although China has made tremendous economic progress in recent years, air pollution continues to exact significant health and economic costs. Using pollution data from 38 Chinese cities and China-based epidemiological functions, this paper estimates some of the economic benefits of reducing urban air pollution. It calculates the averted mortality which would result from the clean-up of particulates, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide—a pollutant not included in most previous China studies. The paper expands on earlier studies by examining the impact of seasonal variations in pollution levels. Finally, the monetary valuation of pollution-related averted mortality is developed using a China-based valuation study and, for a number of cities, the valuation is compared with city-level GDP.

Suggested Citation

  • Victor Brajer & Robert W. Mead, 2004. "Valuing Air Pollution Mortality in China's Cities," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 41(8), pages 1567-1585, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:41:y:2004:i:8:p:1567-1585
    DOI: 10.1080/0042098042000227019
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1080/0042098042000227019
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/0042098042000227019?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bowland, Bradley J. & Beghin, John C., 2001. "Robust estimates of value of a statistical life for developing economies," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 385-396, May.
    2. Viscusi, W Kip, 1993. "The Value of Risks to Life and Health," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 31(4), pages 1912-1946, December.
    3. Alberini, Anna & Krupnick, Alan, 1998. "Air Quality and Episodes of Acute Respiratory Illness in Taiwan Cities: Evidence from Survey Data," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 68-92, July.
    4. Ostro, Bart, 1994. "Estimating the health effects of air pollutants : a method with an application to Jakarta," Policy Research Working Paper Series 1301, The World Bank.
    5. Maureen L. Cropper & Nathalie B. Simon & Anna Alberini & Seema Arora & P.K. Sharma, 1997. "The Health Benefits of Air Pollution Control in Delhi," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 79(5), pages 1625-1629.
    6. Quah, Euston & Boon, Tay Liam, 2003. "The economic cost of particulate air pollution on health in Singapore," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 73-90, February.
    7. Therese Feng, 1999. "Controlling Air Pollution in China," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 1787.
    8. Flores, Nicholas E. & Carson, Richard T., 1997. "The Relationship between the Income Elasticities of Demand and Willingness to Pay," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 287-295, July.
    9. Robert Mendelshohn & Daigee Shaw (ed.), 1996. "The Economics of Pollution Control in the Asia Pacific," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 733.
    10. World Bank, 2003. "World Development Indicators 2003," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 13920.
    11. Anna Alberini & Alan Krupnick, 2000. "Cost-of-Illness and Willingness-to-Pay Estimates of the Benefits of Improved Air Quality: Evidence from Taiwan," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 76(1), pages 37-53.
    12. Lauraine G. Chestnut & Bart D. Ostro & Nuntavarn Vichit-Vadakan, 1997. "Transferability of Air Pollution Control Health Benefits Estimates from the United States to Developing Countries: Evidence from the Bangkok Study," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 79(5), pages 1630-1635.
    13. Anna Alberini & Alan Krupnick, 1997. "Air Pollution and Acute Respiratory Illness: Evidence from Taiwan and Los Angeles," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 79(5), pages 1620-1624.
    14. Liu, Jin-Tan & Hammitt, James K. & Liu, Jin-Long, 1997. "Estimated hedonic wage function and value of life in a developing country," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 57(3), pages 353-358, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lindbeck, Assar, 2006. "Economic-Social Interaction during China’s Transition," Working Paper Series 680, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    2. Jiangtao Hong & Chaher Alzaman & Ali Diabat & Akif Bulgak, 2019. "Sustainability dimensions and PM2.5 in supply chain logistics," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 275(2), pages 339-366, April.
    3. Joo-Suk Lee, 2018. "The environmental costs of Asian dust damages in Korea: applying a choice experiment," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 20(3), pages 641-654, July.
    4. Assar Lindbeck, 2008. "Economic–social interaction in China1," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 16(1), pages 113-139, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Brajer, Victor & Mead, Robert W. & Xiao, Feng, 2006. "Valuing the health impacts of air pollution in Hong Kong," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 85-102, February.
    2. A. Myrick Freeman III, 2000. "The Valuation of Environmental Health Damages in Developing Countries: Some Observations," EEPSEA Special and Technical Paper sp200011t1, Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA), revised Nov 2000.
    3. Natina Yaduma & Mika Kortelainen & Ada Wossink, 2013. "Estimating Mortality and Economic Costs of Particulate Air Pollution in Developing Countries: The Case of Nigeria," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 54(3), pages 361-387, March.
    4. Sengupta, Ramprasad & Mandal, Subrata, 2005. "Health damage cost of automotive air pollution: Cost benefit analysis of fuel quality upgradation for Indian cities," Working Papers 05/37, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.
    5. Hammitt, James K. & Robinson, Lisa A., 2011. "The Income Elasticity of the Value per Statistical Life: Transferring Estimates between High and Low Income Populations," Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 2(1), pages 1-29, January.
    6. Ramprasad Sengupta, 2009. "Health Damage Cost of Automotive Air Pollution: Cost Benefit Analysis of Fuel Quality Upgradation for Indian Cities," Working Papers id:1841, eSocialSciences.
    7. Doucouliagos, Chris & Stanley, T.D. & Giles, Margaret, 2012. "Are estimates of the value of a statistical life exaggerated?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 197-206.
    8. Dionne, Georges & Lebeau, Martin, 2010. "Le calcul de la valeur statistique d’une vie humaine," L'Actualité Economique, Société Canadienne de Science Economique, vol. 86(4), pages 487-530, décembre.
    9. Bellavance, Franois & Dionne, Georges & Lebeau, Martin, 2009. "The value of a statistical life: A meta-analysis with a mixed effects regression model," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 444-464, March.
    10. Zhou Yuan & Richard S.J. Tol, 2005. "Valuing the health impacts from particulate air pollution in Tianjin," Working Papers FNU-89, Research unit Sustainability and Global Change, Hamburg University, revised Sep 2005.
    11. Athukorala, Wasantha, 2013. "Health Benefits and Industrial Air Pollution: A Comparison between People’s Willingness to Accept and the Opportunity Cost of Health Risk," Sri Lankan Journal of Agricultural Economics, Sri Lanka Agricultural Economics Association (SAEA), vol. 14, pages 1-17.
    12. Alberini, Anna & Krupnick, Alan, 1998. "Air Quality and Episodes of Acute Respiratory Illness in Taiwan Cities: Evidence from Survey Data," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 68-92, July.
    13. Usha Gupta, 2006. "Valuation of Urban Air Pollution: A Case Study of Kanpur City in India," Working Papers id:668, eSocialSciences.
    14. Muhammad Rafiq & Mir Kalan Shah, 2010. "The Value of Reduced Risk of Injury and Deaths in Pakistan—Using Actual and Perceived Risk Estimates," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 49(4), pages 823-837.
    15. Marcela Parada-Contzen & Andrés Riquelme-Won & Felipe Vasquez-Lavin, 2013. "The value of a statistical life in Chile," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 45(3), pages 1073-1087, December.
    16. Georges Dionne & Paul Lanoie, 2002. "How to Make a Public Choice About the Value of a Statistical Life: The Case of Road Safety," Cahiers de recherche 02-04, HEC Montréal, Institut d'économie appliquée.
    17. Gibson, John & Barns, Sandra & Cameron, Michael & Lim, Steven & Scrimgeour, Frank & Tressler, John, 2007. "The Value of Statistical Life and the Economics of Landmine Clearance in Developing Countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 512-531, March.
    18. Messer, Kent D., 2010. "Protecting endangered species: When are shoot-on-sight policies the only viable option to stop poaching?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(12), pages 2334-2340, October.
    19. Henrik Andersson & Nicolas Treich, 2011. "The Value of a Statistical Life," Chapters, in: André de Palma & Robin Lindsey & Emile Quinet & Roger Vickerman (ed.), A Handbook of Transport Economics, chapter 17, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    20. Marcela V. Parada‐Contzen, 2019. "The Value of a Statistical Life for Risk‐Averse and Risk‐Seeking Individuals," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 39(11), pages 2369-2390, November.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:41:y:2004:i:8:p:1567-1585. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/urbanstudiesjournal .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.