Calculating the Social Opportunity Cost Discount Rate

David Burgess and Zerbe Richard O
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Zerbe Richard O: University of Washington, Seattle

Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis, 2011, vol. 2, issue 3, 10

Abstract: Two comments in this issue of the Journal address our recent article in Volume 2, Issue 2. The fundamental issue with both comments is that they confuse the financial rate of return with the opportunity cost rate of return and therefore advocate for an inappropriate basis on which to calculate the government discount rate. That is, both comments confuse the financial cost of funds, or the borrowing rate, with the economic opportunity cost of funds. We hope that this exchange advances the subject by reducing confusion.

Keywords: discount; rate (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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DOI: 10.2202/2152-2812.1106

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