IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ess/wpaper/id4524.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Discount Rate for Health Benefits and the Value of Life in India

Author

Listed:
  • K. R. Shanmugam

Abstract

This study contributes to the literature by estimating discount rate for environmental health benefits and value of statistical life of workers in India. The discount rate is imputed from wage-risk trade-offs in which workers decide whether to accept a risky job with higher wages. The estimated real discount rate ranges between 2.7 and 3 percent, which is closer to the financial market rate for the study period and consistent with earlier studies from developed nations. The estimated value of life is Rs. 20 (US $ 1.107) million. The results of the study can aid policymakers, international agencies and other researchers in evaluating health projects in India and other developing countries. [WORKING PAPER 60/2011]. URL:[http://www.mse.ac.in/pub/WORKING%20PAPER%2060.pdf].

Suggested Citation

  • K. R. Shanmugam, 2011. "Discount Rate for Health Benefits and the Value of Life in India," Working Papers id:4524, eSocialSciences.
    • Handle: RePEc:ess:wpaper:id:4524
    Note: Institutional Papers
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.esocialsciences.org/Download/repecDownload.aspx?fname=A20111019104559_20.pdf&fcategory=Articles&AId=4524&fref=repec
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Moore, Michael J & Viscusi, W Kip, 1988. "The Quantity-Adjusted Value of Life," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 26(3), pages 369-388, July.
    2. Marjon Vanr De Pol & John Cairns, 1999. "Individual time preferences for own health: an application of a dichotomous choice question with follow-up," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(10), pages 649-654.
    3. Erhun Kula, 2004. "Estimation of a Social Rate of Interest for India," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(1), pages 91-99, March.
    4. Viscusi, W. Kip & Moore, Michael J., 1989. "Rates of time preference and valuations of the duration of life," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 297-317, April.
    5. Viscusi, W Kip & Aldy, Joseph E, 2003. "The Value of a Statistical Life: A Critical Review of Market Estimates throughout the World," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 27(1), pages 5-76, August.
    6. R. A. Sharma & M. J. McGregor & J. F. Blyth, 1991. "The Social Discount Rate For Land‐Use Projects In India," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(1), pages 86-92, January.
    7. van der Pol, Marjon & Cairns, John, 2001. "Estimating time preferences for health using discrete choice experiments," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 52(9), pages 1459-1470, May.
    8. Pender, John L., 1996. "Discount rates and credit markets: Theory and evidence from rural india," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 257-296, August.
    9. Dreyfus, Mark K & Viscusi, W Kip, 1995. "Rates of Time Preference and Consumer Valuations of Automobile Safety and Fuel Efficiency," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 38(1), pages 79-105, April.
    10. Jerry A. Hausman, 1979. "Individual Discount Rates and the Purchase and Utilization of Energy-Using Durables," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 10(1), pages 33-54, Spring.
    11. Loewenstein, George, 1987. "Anticipation and the Valuation of Delayed Consumption," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 97(387), pages 666-684, September.
    12. Shane Frederick & George Loewenstein & Ted O'Donoghue, 2002. "Time Discounting and Time Preference: A Critical Review," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 40(2), pages 351-401, June.
    13. repec:reg:rpubli:282 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Moore, Michael J. & Viscusi, W. Kip, 1990. "Discounting environmental health risks: New evidence and policy implications," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 51-62, March.
    15. Johannesson, Magnus & Johansson, Per-Olov, 1997. "Quality of life and the WTP for an increased life expectancy at an advanced age," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 219-228, August.
    16. Dermot Gately, 1980. "Individual Discount Rates and the Purchase and Utilization of Energy-Using Durables: Comment," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 11(1), pages 373-374, Spring.
    17. Shanmugam, K. R., 2006. "Rate of time preference and the quantity adjusted value of life in India," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 11(5), pages 569-583, October.
    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. Agamoni Majumder & S. Madheswaran, 2022. "Discounting Long-Term Job-Related Health Risks in the Context of Indian Workers," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 65(4), pages 1099-1120, December.
    2. Hutton, Guy & Patil, Sumeet & Kumar, Avni & Osbert, Nicolas & Odhiambo, Francis, 2020. "Comparison of the costs and benefits of the Clean India Mission," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).

    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. Vasquez-Lavín, Felipe & Ponce Oliva, Roberto D. & Hernández, José Ignacio & Gelcich, Stefan & Carrasco, Moisés & Quiroga, Miguel, 2019. "Exploring dual discount rates for ecosystem services: Evidence from a marine protected area network," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 63-80.
    2. Shane Frederick & George Loewenstein & Ted O'Donoghue, 2002. "Time Discounting and Time Preference: A Critical Review," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 40(2), pages 351-401, June.
    3. Agamoni Majumder & S. Madheswaran, 2022. "Discounting Long-Term Job-Related Health Risks in the Context of Indian Workers," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 65(4), pages 1099-1120, December.
    4. do Nascimento, José Cláudio, 2021. "The personal wealth importance to the intertemporal choice," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 565(C).
    5. James Hammitt & Jin-Tan Liu, 2004. "Effects of Disease Type and Latency on the Value of Mortality Risk," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 28(1), pages 73-95, January.
    6. Yesuf, Mahmud & Bluffstone, Randall, 2008. "Wealth and Time Preference in Rural Ethiopia," RFF Working Paper Series dp-08-16-efd, Resources for the Future.
    7. 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.
    8. 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.
    9. Thomas J. Kniesner & W. Kip Viscusi, 2023. "Compensating Differentials for Occupational Health and Safety Risks: Implications of Recent Evidence," Research in Labor Economics, in: 50th Celebratory Volume, volume 50, pages 83-116, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    10. Stefan A. Lipman & Arthur E. Attema, 2024. "A systematic review of unique methods for measuring discount rates," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 69(2), pages 145-189, October.
    11. Jindrich Matousek & Tomas Havranek & Zuzana Irsova, 2022. "Individual discount rates: a meta-analysis of experimental evidence," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 25(1), pages 318-358, February.
    12. Maribeth Coller & Melonie Williams, 1999. "Eliciting Individual Discount Rates," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 2(2), pages 107-127, December.
    13. Sundar, B. & Virmani, Vineet, 2013. "“Impatience” of Forest Dependent Communities - Evidence from Andhra Pradesh," IIMA Working Papers WP2013-12-02, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Research and Publication Department.
    14. John A. Cairns, 1994. "Valuing future benefits," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 3(4), pages 221-229, July.
    15. McDonald, R.L. & Chilton, S.M. & Jones-Lee, M.W. & Metcalf, H.R.T., 2017. "Evidence of variable discount rates and non-standard discounting in mortality risk valuation," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 152-167.
    16. Tomomi Tanaka & Colin F. Camerer & Quang Nguyen, 2006. "Preferences, Poverty and Politics: Experimental and Survey Data from Vietnam," Levine's Bibliography 321307000000000054, UCLA Department of Economics.
    17. Min, Jihoon & Azevedo, Inês L. & Michalek, Jeremy & de Bruin, Wändi Bruine, 2014. "Labeling energy cost on light bulbs lowers implicit discount rates," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 42-50.
    18. Tatiana Kossova & Elena Kossova & Maria Sheluntcova, 2014. "Estimating the Relationship Between Rate of Time Preferences And Socio-Economic Factors In Russia," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(1), pages 39-68.
    19. Rivera-Hernández, Rivera Hernández & Venegas-Martínez, Francisco, 2014. "Análisis empírico de la tasa subjetiva de descuento para el consumidor mexicano," eseconomía, Escuela Superior de Economía, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, vol. 0(40), pages 115-132, primer se.
    20. Krupka, Erin L. & Stephens, Melvin, 2013. "The stability of measured time preferences," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 11-19.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Expected length of life; value of statistical life; time preference rate; India; developing countries; policymakers; international agencies; researchers; health projects; developed nations; international agencies; value of life; workers; wages; health benefits; wage-risk; trade-offs; Economic analyses; life saving policies; discount rate;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J17 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Value of Life; Foregone Income
    • J28 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

    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:ess:wpaper:id:4524. 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: Padma Prakash (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.esocialsciences.org .

    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.