Assessing the Distribution of Impacts

This article and the accompanying working paper[1] review the literature and develop recommendations for valuing mortality risk reductions in benefit-cost analyses that address low- and middle-income countries. Increasing life expectancy is a major goal of many policies implemented around the world. As a result, the value of reducing mortality risks has been extensively studied and several organizations have developed recommendations for estimating these values. However, both the recommendations and the underlying research primarily address high-income…

This paper explores approaches for valuing nonfatal risk reductions associated with policy choices in low- and middle-income countries. The approach for valuation ideally would be based on estimates of individuals’ willingness to pay for changes in their own risks. However, high quality valuation research is not available for many nonfatal conditions even in high-income settings. Typically, two approaches are used either alone or in combination as rough proxies. The first involves applying an estimate of…

This case study examines reducing air pollution in India. Air pollution is a persistent and well-established public health problem in India, and could worsen significantly over time if additional pollution controls are not implemented. The authors site a model coal-fired electricity generating unit at eight locations and examine the benefits and costs of retrofitting the plant with a scrubber unit that reduces sulfur dioxide emissions. They quantify the mortality benefits associated with the reduction in…