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Assuming The Can Opener: Hedonic Wage Estimates and the Value of Life

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  • William T. Dickens

Abstract

Although intuitively appealing, the use of hedonic wage estimates to determine people's willingness to pay to avoid the risk of fatal hazards is fraught with problems. The theoretical basis for such estimates are flawed in a number of important ways. The underlying behavioral model is wrong, there is imperfect information about job hazards, and labor markets do not look like the perfectly competitive model on which the theory depends for its conclusions. Further, there are many serious problems with the techniques used to estimate hedonic wage equations. This paper describes these problems. Not surprisingly, these problems result in a wide range of results with respect to willingness to pay to avoid fatal hazards. It is argued that this wide range of results is not fully apparent in the literature because of the bias in publication towards positive as opposed to negative findings. The paper concludes that it is unlikely that economics has much to contribute to the public policy debate over the value of a life.

Suggested Citation

  • William T. Dickens, 1990. "Assuming The Can Opener: Hedonic Wage Estimates and the Value of Life," NBER Working Papers 3446, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:3446
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. William T. Dickens & Brian A. Ross, 1984. "Consistent Estimation Using Data From More Than One Sample," NBER Technical Working Papers 0033, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Dickens, William T, 1984. "Differences between Risk Premiums in Union and Nonunion Wages and the Case for Occupational Safety Regulation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 74(2), pages 320-323, May.
    3. Daniel Kahneman & Amos Tversky, 2013. "Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision Under Risk," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Leonard C MacLean & William T Ziemba (ed.), HANDBOOK OF THE FUNDAMENTALS OF FINANCIAL DECISION MAKING Part I, chapter 6, pages 99-127, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    4. Viscusi, W Kip & O'Connor, Charles J, 1984. "Adaptive Responses to Chemical Labeling: Are Workers Bayesian Decision Makers?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 74(5), pages 942-956, December.
    5. William T. Dickens & Lawrence F. Katz, 1986. "Interindustry Wage Differences and Industry Characteristics," NBER Working Papers 2014, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Alan B. Krueger & Lawrence H. Summers, 1986. "Reflections on the Inter-Industry Wage Structure," NBER Working Papers 1968, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Charles Brown, 1980. "Equalizing Differences in the Labor Market," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 94(1), pages 113-134.
    8. Paul Leigh, J., 1987. "Gender, firm size, industry, and estimates of the value-of-life," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 6(3), pages 255-273, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Lloyd Ulman, 1992. "Why Should Human Resource Managers Pay High Wages?," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 30(2), pages 177-212, June.
    2. Nick Adnett & Alistair Dawson, 1998. "The Economic Analysis of Industrial Accidents: a re-assessment," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(2), pages 241-255.
    3. Burtraw, Dallas & Krupnick, Alan J., 1996. "The second-best use of social cost estimates," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 467-489, December.
    4. Berg, Nathan, 2006. "Behavioral Labor Economics," MPRA Paper 26366, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Aaron Lowen & Paul Sicilian, 2009. "“Family-Friendly” Fringe Benefits and the Gender Wage Gap," Journal of Economic Interaction and Coordination, Springer;Society for Economic Science with Heterogeneous Interacting Agents, vol. 30(2), pages 101-119, June.

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