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Cost–benefit analysis and the environment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2001

ANANDARUP RAY
Affiliation:
The World Bank, 1818 H St NW, Washington, DC 40433, USA

Abstract

The thrust of the principles enunciated in Arrow et al. is that economic benefits and costs can be a great help in organizing disparate concerns, in identifying issues, and in designing regulatory policies and individual projects with environmental impact. While this true, I must disagree with the authors that 'formal benefit-cost analysis should not be viewed as either necessary or sufficient for designing sensible public policy' (p. 201). At least there can be little doubt that cost-benefit analysis is necessary for sensible policy. I comment below from the perspective of devloping countries.

Type
Policy Forum
Copyright
© 1997 Cambridge University Press

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