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Principles Of Cost-Benefit Analysis

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  • Robin Boadway

    (PRI)

Abstract

This paper summarizes the procedure for the economic evaluation of government projects and policy reforms. It begins with the social welfare function underpinnings of cost-benefit analysis including the role of distributive weights and the choice of numeraire. It then turns to the conduct of a social cost-benefit analysis using the net present value criterion. This includes the shadow pricing of market products and inputs affected by the project, indirect welfare effects, the opportunity cost of project finance, the evaluation of non-marketed inputs and outputs, and the opportunity cost of risk. Issues involved in selecting a discount rate are discussed, especially those arising from imperfect capital markets. Finally, since many public projects have long-term consequences, the principles that might be used to take account of effects of projects on future generations are outlined. Techniques for accounting for these effects, such as generational accounting, are summarized and its shortcomings highlighted.

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  • Robin Boadway, 2006. "Principles Of Cost-Benefit Analysis," Development Economics Working Papers 22594, East Asian Bureau of Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:eab:develo:22594
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Francis Dennig, 2018. "Climate change and the re-evaluation of cost-benefit analysis," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 151(1), pages 43-54, November.
    5. Lindhjem Henrik & Pedersen Simen, 2012. "Should Publicly Funded Postal Services be Reduced? A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Universal Service Obligation in Norway," Review of Network Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 11(2), pages 1-33, June.
    6. Mwambo, Francis Molua & Fürst, Christine & Nyarko, Benjamin K. & Borgemeister, Christian & Martius, Christopher, 2020. "Maize production and environmental costs: Resource evaluation and strategic land use planning for food security in northern Ghana by means of coupled emergy and data envelopment analysis," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    7. Endre Kildal Iversen & Kristine Grimsrud & Henrik Lindhjem & Jette Bredahl Jacobsen, 2019. "Trade-offs between carbon sequestration, landscape aesthetics and biodiversity in a cost-benefit analysis of land use options in Norway," Discussion Papers 915, Statistics Norway, Research Department.
    8. Fakudze, Bhekiwe Delisile, 2015. "An economic evaluation of the National Red Meat Development Programme in the Eastern Cape Province, South Aftrica," Research Theses 265579, Collaborative Masters Program in Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    9. Väinö Nurmi & Karoliina Pilli-Sihvola & Hilppa Gregow & Adriaan Perrels, 2019. "Overadaptation to Climate Change? The Case of the 2013 Finnish Electricity Market Act," Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Springer, vol. 3(2), pages 161-190, July.
    10. Niek Mouter & Paul Koster & Thijs Dekker, 2019. "An introduction to Participatory Value Evaluation," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 19-024/V, Tinbergen Institute, revised 15 Dec 2019.
    11. Asplund, Disa & Eliasson, Jonas, 2016. "Does uncertainty make cost-benefit analyses pointless?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 195-205.
    12. Nyborg, Karine, 2014. "Project evaluation with democratic decision-making: What does cost–benefit analysis really measure?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 124-131.
    13. Asplund, Disa, 2022. "The welfare-maximizing discount rate in a small open economy," Working Papers 2022:2, Swedish National Road & Transport Research Institute (VTI).
    14. Nurmi, Väinö & Ahtiainen, Heini, 2018. "Distributional Weights in Environmental Valuation and Cost-benefit Analysis: Theory and Practice," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 217-228.
    15. Riukula, Krista & Väänänen, Touko, 2024. "Estimating the Labour Market Impacts of Transport Projects in Finland," ETLA Working Papers 120, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy.
    16. Mouter, Niek & Cabral, Manuel Ojeda & Dekker, Thijs & van Cranenburgh, Sander, 2019. "The value of travel time, noise pollution, recreation and biodiversity: A social choice valuation perspective," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    17. Mihic, Marko M. & Todorovic, Marija Lj. & Obradovic, Vladimir Lj., 2014. "Economic analysis of social services for the elderly in Serbia: Two sides of the same coin," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 9-21.
    18. Niek Mouter & Jan Annema & Bert Wee, 2015. "Managing the insolvable limitations of cost-benefit analysis: results of an interview based study," Transportation, Springer, vol. 42(2), pages 277-302, March.
    19. Saravia Matus, Silvia L. & Gomez y Paloma, Sergio, 2014. "Farm viability of (semi)subsistence smallholders in Sierra Leone," African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, African Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 9(3), pages 1-18, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    evaluation; government projects; policy reforms; imperfect capital markets; generational accounting; shadow pricing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection

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