Benefit-cost analysis (BCA) is the best technique for analyzing proposed or previously enacted projects to determine whether undertaking them is in the public interest, or for choosing between two or more mutually exclusive projects. An introduction to BCA for students as well as practitioners, this accessible volume describes the underlying economic theory and legal and philosophical foundations of BCA.BCA provides an objective framework around which discussion, correction and amendment can take place. Stated simply, it is the calculation of values for all the inputs into and outputs from a project and then the subtraction of the first from the second.The authors' goal here is to take the mystery out of the process. They discuss practical issues of market-based valuation and aggregation, non-market valuation, practical applications of general equilibrium models, issues in discounting, and the impacts of risk and uncertainty in BCA. They also provide a list of resources and case studies looking at ethanol and the use of cellular phones by drivers. Straightforward in style and cutting-edge in coverage, this volume will be highly usable both as a text and a reference. Advanced undergraduates and masters students in public policy, public administration, economics and health care administration programs will find this a valuable resource. It will also be of great use to agencies that perform benefit-cost analyses.

Benefit-cost analysis reduces all of the impacts of a proposed policy change to a common unit of measurement. It is used in a wide variety of fields including agriculture, life and health, transportation and the environment.In this single volume the editors, both leading scholars in their field, present a judicious selection of previously published papers indispensable to the study of applied benefit-cost analysis. The comprehensive collection is an essential resource to scholars, researchers and policymakers alike.

* John Connor describes and evaluates the results of his extensive survey of reports of cartel overcharges.
* Dennis Weisman models the price effects of mergers that not only increase concentration in the relevant market but also increase the merged firms' participation in other, complementary markets.
* Malcolm Coate and Mark Williams develop a superior method for calculating critical loss in markets that are relatively homogenous and competitive premerger.
* Zhiqi Chen surveys recent developments in economic theories of buyer power and creates a general framework for antitrust analysis.
* Thomas J. Miceli and Kathern Segerson, given the difficulty of collecting damages after a long latency period, examine the desirability of granting toxic exposure victims an independent cause of action for medical monitoring at the time of exposure. They shows that such a cause of action incarease incentives for injurer care but only at the cost of greater litigation cost. the reluctance of courts to adopt such a proposed cause of action reflects theri awareness of this trade-off.
*Each chapter examines in depth a topic in law and economics.
*Written by leading experts in the field.

Benefit-cost analysis is at heart a subject of practicality and usefulness. With this in mind, the editor has chosen the most relevant previously published articles for these volumes. Having explored the theoretical and ethical underpinnings of the subject, the book then addresses some major policy issues and debates. These include the institutional arrangements through which benefit-cost analyses would be most useful to the policy and decision process, the need for a set of principles and standards to unify benefit-cost analysis methods, the use of general equilibrium analysis and the proper treatment of uncertainty and risk.In his new introduction, the editor offers his own particular viewpoint and raises issues which will intrigue both academics and practitioners.

Benefit-cost analysis (BCA) is the best technique for analyzing proposed or previously enacted projects to determine whether undertaking them is in the public interest, or for choosing between two or more mutually exclusive projects. An introduction to BCA for students as well as practitioners, this accessible volume describes the underlying economic theory and legal and philosophical foundations of BCA. BCA provides an objective framework around which discussion, correction and amendment can take place. Stated simply, it is the calculation of values for all the inputs and outputs from a project and then the subtraction of the first from the second. The authors' goal here is to take the mystery out of the process. They discuss practical issues of market-based valuation and aggregation, non-market valuation, practical applications of general equilibrium models, issues in discounting, and the impacts of risk and uncertainty in BCA. They also provide a list of resources and case studies looking at ethanol and the use of cellular phones by drivers. Straightforward in style and cutting-edge in coverage, this volume will be highly usable both as a text and a reference. Advanced undergraduates and masters students in public policy, public administration, economics and health care administration programs will find this a valuable resource. It will also be of great use to agencies that perform benefit-cost analyses.

This collection brings together the key papers in the area of efficiency in law and economics. Alongside an original introduction, the collection covers the applications of economic efficiency to law and the limitations and morality of efficiency. This important book will appeal to anyone interested in the underlying welfare theory relating to the use of economics in law, examining both the history and impact of the theory, as well as its deficiencies.

This work is part of a series focusing on research into law and economics. It discusses a variety of topics in the field.

Hardbound. Research in Law and Economics is a highly respected source of proactive, original perspectives on law and economics. For the researcher, this latest volume offers a diverse set of papers, each one a constructive contribution. The papers address: how the Supreme Court can clarify and rationalize the payment of pre-judgment interest; what is meant or should be meant by economic efficiency; the length of various statutes of limitations for accident cases; implications of the court congestion hypothesis of Posner and Priest; the efficiency of medical malpractice insurance; and the effects of hospital competition on Medicaid share.

In this path-breaking book, Richard Zerbe introduces a new way to think about the concept of economic efficiency that is both consistent with its historical derivation and more useful than concepts currently used. He establishes an expanded version of Kaldor-Hicks efficiency as an axiomatic system that performs the following tasks: the new approach obviates certain technical and ethical criticisms that have been made of economic efficiency; it answers critics of efficiency; it allows an expanded range for efficiency analysis; it establishes the conditions under which economists can reasonably say that some state of the world is inefficient. He then applies the new analysis to a number of hard and fascinating cases, including the economics of duelling, cannibalism and rape. He develops a new theory of common law efficiency and indicates the circumstances under which the common law will be inefficient. The book will be of great interest to scholars, students, and practitioners interested in the concept of economic efficiency and how it should be applied to law and economics.

Since 1979 Research in Law and Economics has been presenting original research that explores the extent to which the constraints of law explain economic behavior and the role of economics in forming the law. The first chapter in this volume proposes three different definitions for market power from an antitrust perspective. Chapter two suggests a new means of measuring market power by moving away from traditional indicators of averaging industry profits. The third chapter is an analysis of efforts exerted and utilities obtained in a double lawsuit. Chapter four surveys recent developments in economics of contract interpretation. The fifth chapter examines the impact of changes in foreign exchange legislation on the levels of R&D undertaken by pharmaceutical firms in India. Chapter six addresses the role of transaction costs in explaining governance in environmental economics can play in helping choose environmental policy tools. The final chapter is an examination of economic evidence relating to the allegations in litigation against cigarette manufacturers.

Since 1979 "Research in Law and Economics" has been presenting original research that explores the extent to which the constraints of law explain economic behavior and the role of economics in forming the law. Leading scholars, including Kenneth Arrow, Kenneth Elzinga, Victor Goldberg, Jack Hirschliefer, Paul Joskow, and Vernon Smith, have chosen "Research in Law and Economics" as the right forum for presenting their research. Now published bi-annually, each issue of "Research in Law and Economics" focuses on a timely and relevant topic. Such topics have included economics of environmental policy, urban property rights, antitrust and evolutionary models in economics and law. This volume focuses on cost-benefit analysis and the law, whereas the next special issue will concentrate on corporate finance

In this path-breaking book, Richard Zerbe introduces a new way to think about the concept of economic efficiency that is both consistent with its historical derivation and more useful than concepts currently used. He establishes an expanded version of Kaldor-Hicks efficiency as an axiomatic system that performs the following tasks: the new approach obviates certain technical and ethical criticisms that have been made of economic efficiency; it answers critics of efficiency; it allows an expanded range for efficiency analysis; it establishes the conditions under which economists can reasonably say that some state of the world is inefficient. He then applies the new analysis to a number of hard and fascinating cases, including the economics of duelling, cannibalism and rape. He develops a new theory of common law efficiency and indicates the circumstances under which the common law will be inefficient. The book will be of great interest to scholars, students, and practitioners interested in the concept of economic efficiency and how it should be applied to law and economics.