Valuing the Risk of Death and Injury from Landmines in Thailand

Sandra A. Barns, Michael Cameron, John Gibson, Steven Lim, Dan Marsh, Francis Scrimgeour and John Tressler ()

No 97797, 2004 Conference, June 25-26, 2004, Blenheim, New Zealand from New Zealand Agricultural and Resource Economics Society

Abstract: This paper presents estimates of the benefits of clearing landmines in rural Thailand using the contingent-valuation (CV) method. The data came from a survey where we asked 341 respondents referendum-type questions that elicit their willingness to pay for landmine clearance. Our estimates imply a value of a statistical life of between US$0.2-0.3 million. The survey also provides estimates of the injury risk-death risk tradeoff and the implicit value of statistical injury. These estimates suggest that the value of lives and injuries saved from mine clearing is likely to be at least an order of magnitude greater than those used in existing studies of mine clearing. Linking a household expenditure survey involving the same sample enables the relationship between the value of statistical life and the characteristics of the households to be considered. The implications of these estimates for cost benefit studies are illustrated using the study by Harris (2000) of mine clearance in Cambodia. It is shown that the value of lives and injuries saved is likely to dominate benefit assessments when VSL estimates are used.

Keywords: Environmental Economics and Policy; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; International Development; Political Economy; Research Methods/ Statistical Methods; Resource/Energy Economics and Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 25
Date: 2004-06
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:nzar04:97797

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.97797

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