This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Benefit-Cost in a Benevolent Society

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Theodore C. Bergstrom

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

How should benefit-cost analysis account for the value that benevolent individuals place on others' enjoyment of public goods? When adding up the benefits to be compared with costs, should we sum the private valuations, the altruistic valuations, or something else? This paper argues that private valuations are appropriate if concern for the well-being of others respects their private preferences. The discussion has implications for family decision-making, welfare economics, and the design of applied contingent valuation studies.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help file. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://www.aeaweb.org/aer/contents/mar2006.html
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to AEA members.

As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version under "Related research" (further below) or search for a different version of it.

Publisher Info
Article provided by American Economic Association in its journal American Economic Review.

Volume (Year): 96 (2006)
Issue (Month): 1 (March)
Pages: 339-351
Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML, plain text, BibTeX, RIS (EndNote), ReDIF
Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:96:y:2006:i:1:p:339-351

Contact details of provider:
Email:
Web page: http://www.aeaweb.org/aer/
More information through EDIRC

Order Information:
Web: http://www.aeaweb.org/subscribe.html

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Christopher F. Baum).

Related research
Keywords:

Other versions of this item:

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Winter, Sidney Jr., 1969. "A simple remark on the second optimality theorem of welfare economics," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 99-103, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Bergstrom, Theodore C, 1999. " Systems of Benevolent Utility Functions," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 1(1), pages 71-100. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  3. Jones-Lee, M W, 1991. " Altruism and the Value of Other People's Safety," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 213-19, April.
  4. Chipman, John S & Moore, James C, 1980. "Compensating Variation, Consumer's Surplus, and Welfare," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 70(5), pages 933-49, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Bergstrom, Theodore C., 1970. "A "Scandinavian consensus" solution for efficient income distribution among nonmalevolent consumers," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 2(4), pages 383-398, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  6. Serge-Christophe Kolm, 2000. "A historical introduction to normative economics," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 707-738. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Richard T. Carson, 1999. "Contingent Valuation: A User's Guide," University of California at San Diego, Economics Working Paper Series 99-26, Department of Economics, UC San Diego. [Downloadable!]
  8. Ted Bergstrom & Richard Cornes, 1983. "Independence of Allocative Efficiency from Distribution in the Theory of Public Goods," University of California at Santa Barbara, Economics Working Paper Series 1983B, Department of Economics, UC Santa Barbara. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  9. Ted Bergstrom, 1989. "Love and Spaghetti, The Opportunity Cost of Virtue," University of California at Santa Barbara, Economics Working Paper Series 1989B, Department of Economics, UC Santa Barbara. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  10. Ted Bergstrom, 1982. "When is a Man's Life Worth More Than His Human Capital?," University of California at Santa Barbara, Economics Working Paper Series 1982d, Department of Economics, UC Santa Barbara. [Downloadable!]
  11. W. Kip Viscusi & Joseph E. Aldy, 2003. "The Value of a Statistical Life: A Critical Review of Market Estimates throughout the World," NBER Working Papers 9487, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  12. McConnell, K. E., 1997. "Does Altruism Undermine Existence Value?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 22-37, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Loomis, John B. & White, Douglas S., 1996. "Economic benefits of rare and endangered species: summary and meta-analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 197-206, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Hanemann, W Michael, 1994. "Valuing the Environment through Contingent Valuation," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 8(4), pages 19-43, Fall. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Johansson, Per-Olov, 1994. "Altruism and the value of statistical life: Empirical implications," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 111-118, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. Flores, Nicholas E., 2002. "Non-paternalistic altruism and welfare economics," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(2), pages 293-305, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  17. Jones-Lee, M W, 1992. "Paternalistic Altruism and the Value of Statistical Life," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 102(410), pages 80-90, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Dickie, Mark & Messman, Victoria L., 2004. "Parental altruism and the value of avoiding acute illness: are kids worth more than parents?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 1146-1174, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. Jones-Lee, M W & Hammerton, M & Philips, P R, 1985. "The Value of Safety: Results of a National Sample Survey," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 95(377), pages 49-72, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  20. G. C. Archibald & David Donaldson, 1976. "Non-Paternalism and the Basic Theorems of Welfare Economics," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 9(3), pages 492-507, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Sherman Folland, 2006. "Value of life and behavior toward health risks: an interpretation of social capital," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 15(2), pages 159-171. [Downloadable!]
  2. Javier A. Birchenall & Rodrigo R. Soares, 2007. "Altruism, Fertility, and the Value of Children: Health Policy Evaluation and Intergenerational Welfare," IZA Discussion Papers 2783, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Wolfgang Buchholz & Wolfgang Peters, 2007. "Equal Sacrifice and Fair Burden Sharing in a Public Goods Economy," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo GmbH. [Downloadable!]
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? You too can volunteer for RePEc, for example by providing information about publications in your institution.

This page was last updated on 2008-7-16.


This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.