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The Marginal Values of Lifesavers and Lifeguards to Beach Users in Australia and the United States

Author

Listed:
  • Boyd Dirk Blackwell

    (C/O National Centre for Marine Conservation and Resource Sustainability (NCMCRS), Australian Maritime College, University of Tasmania, Maritime Way, Newnham, Locked Bag 1370, Launceston, Tas 7250, Australia)

  • Clement Allan Tisdell

    (School of Economics, The University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus, Qld, 4072, Australia)

Abstract

We estimate the marginal benefits of increasing lifesavers and lifeguards for beach users in Australia and the United States. Visits, income, education, age, distance from a patrol, and willingness to swim on an unpatrolled beach explain willingness to pay but rivalry does not; snob and bandwagon effects prevail. By comparing benefits with costs, the levels of lifeguards and lifesavers in Australia were found to be underprovided, consistent with shared good theory. Increasing services provides greater net benefits to users but replacing volunteer lifesavers with paid lifeguards may not because volunteering brings broader social benefits.

Suggested Citation

  • Boyd Dirk Blackwell & Clement Allan Tisdell, 2010. "The Marginal Values of Lifesavers and Lifeguards to Beach Users in Australia and the United States," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 209-227, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:40:y:2010:i:2:p:209-227
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    Keywords

    willingness to pay; lifesaving; lifeguarding; rivalry; shared goods;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q26 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Recreational Aspects of Natural Resources
    • H40 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - General
    • L31 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise - - - Nonprofit Institutions; NGOs; Social Entrepreneurship

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