Problems in Policymaking to Reduce Environmental Risks to Life

L. Dwyer
Additional contact information
L. Dwyer: Macarthur Institute of Higher Education, Campbelltown, NSW

Economic Analysis and Policy, 1988, vol. 18, issue 1, 83-100

Abstract: Authorities in a number of countries, including Australia, have become increasingly concerned about the serious threats to public health and the environment arising from exposure to hazardous wastes. While economists can provide essential information to policymakers regarding the lifesaving benefits of regulatory controls of toxins, certain problems arise from using the economist’s preferred method as a basis for policy assessment. One problem concerns the appropriate measure of risk to use in estimating the benefits of reducing environmental risks. Another concerns the possibility that use of the economist’s technique of benefit assessment may result in policies which do not maximise the number of lives saved. This paper attempts to clarify the issues and to defend the economist’s approach from ill-informed criticism.

Date: 1988
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0313592688500061
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:18:y:1988:i:1:p:83-100

Access Statistics for this article

Economic Analysis and Policy is currently edited by Clevo Wilson

More articles in Economic Analysis and Policy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().