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

Boyd Blackwell and Clement Tisdell

Economic Analysis and Policy, 2010, vol. 40, issue 2, 209-227

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.

Keywords: willingness to pay; lifesaving; lifeguarding; rivalry; shared goods (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H40 L31 Q26 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
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