Paul Weirich
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195326864
- eISBN:
- 9780199870325
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195326864.003.0012
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
Many food products contain genetically modified corn and soybeans. Corn plants are modified to resist pests, and soybean plants are modified to tolerate herbicides. In the United States food labels ...
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Many food products contain genetically modified corn and soybeans. Corn plants are modified to resist pests, and soybean plants are modified to tolerate herbicides. In the United States food labels need not indicate genetically modified ingredients. In the European Union they must. Scientific data supports the safety of genetically modified food, but consumers may want to exercise caution. What principles should guide a government's regulation of food labels? The popular Precautionary Principle is too single-minded to be a reliable source of sound judgment. This chapter proposes a more thorough principle grounded in decision theory. It relies on cost-benefit analysis formulated comprehensively to assess a regulation's consequences, including reduction of risks. Made comprehensive, cost-benefit analysis absorbs plausible versions of the Precautionary Principle and wisely guides regulation.Less
Many food products contain genetically modified corn and soybeans. Corn plants are modified to resist pests, and soybean plants are modified to tolerate herbicides. In the United States food labels need not indicate genetically modified ingredients. In the European Union they must. Scientific data supports the safety of genetically modified food, but consumers may want to exercise caution. What principles should guide a government's regulation of food labels? The popular Precautionary Principle is too single-minded to be a reliable source of sound judgment. This chapter proposes a more thorough principle grounded in decision theory. It relies on cost-benefit analysis formulated comprehensively to assess a regulation's consequences, including reduction of risks. Made comprehensive, cost-benefit analysis absorbs plausible versions of the Precautionary Principle and wisely guides regulation.
David Miller
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198294894
- eISBN:
- 9780191599064
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198294891.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
David Miller grapples with the sustainability question in the context of liberal theories of justice. He believes that environmental goods are as appropriately related to theories of justice as any ...
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David Miller grapples with the sustainability question in the context of liberal theories of justice. He believes that environmental goods are as appropriately related to theories of justice as any other type of good, but that no systematic attempt has been made to do so. He reaches this conclusion after examining the work of Ronald Dworkin and John Rawls. Miller argues that some environmental goods can be regarded as Rawlsian primary goods, and that others may possess sufficiently universal value to present few problems of justice. Where conflicts do occur, Miller suggests that a modified form of cost‐benefit analysis can be used to resolve disputes.Less
David Miller grapples with the sustainability question in the context of liberal theories of justice. He believes that environmental goods are as appropriately related to theories of justice as any other type of good, but that no systematic attempt has been made to do so. He reaches this conclusion after examining the work of Ronald Dworkin and John Rawls. Miller argues that some environmental goods can be regarded as Rawlsian primary goods, and that others may possess sufficiently universal value to present few problems of justice. Where conflicts do occur, Miller suggests that a modified form of cost‐benefit analysis can be used to resolve disputes.
Eyal Zamir and Barak Medina
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195372168
- eISBN:
- 9780199776078
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195372168.001.0001
- Subject:
- Law, Philosophy of Law
Economic analysis of law is a powerful analytical methodology. However, as a purely consequentialist approach, which determines the desirability of acts and rules solely by assessing the ...
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Economic analysis of law is a powerful analytical methodology. However, as a purely consequentialist approach, which determines the desirability of acts and rules solely by assessing the goodness of their outcomes, standard cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is normatively objectionable. Moderate deontology prioritizes such values as autonomy, basic liberties, truth-telling, and promise-keeping over the promotion of good outcomes. It holds that there are constraints on promoting the good. Such constraints may be overridden only if enough good (or bad) is at stake. While moderate deontology conforms to prevailing moral intuitions and legal doctrines, it is arguably lacking in methodological rigor and precision. This book examines the possibility of combining economic methodology and deontological morality through explicit and direct incorporation of moral constraints (and options) into economic models. It argues that the normative flaws of economic analysis can be rectified without relinquishing its methodological advantages, and that moral constraints can be formalized so as to make their analysis more rigorous. The book discusses various substantive and methodological choices involved in modeling deontological constraints. It proposes to determine the permissibility of any act or rule infringing a deontological constraint by means of mathematical threshold functions. The book presents the general structure of threshold functions, analyzes their elements, and addresses possible objections to this proposal. It then illustrates the implementation of constrained CBA in several legal fields, including the fight against terrorism, freedom of speech, anti-discrimination law, contract law, and legal paternalism.Less
Economic analysis of law is a powerful analytical methodology. However, as a purely consequentialist approach, which determines the desirability of acts and rules solely by assessing the goodness of their outcomes, standard cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is normatively objectionable. Moderate deontology prioritizes such values as autonomy, basic liberties, truth-telling, and promise-keeping over the promotion of good outcomes. It holds that there are constraints on promoting the good. Such constraints may be overridden only if enough good (or bad) is at stake. While moderate deontology conforms to prevailing moral intuitions and legal doctrines, it is arguably lacking in methodological rigor and precision. This book examines the possibility of combining economic methodology and deontological morality through explicit and direct incorporation of moral constraints (and options) into economic models. It argues that the normative flaws of economic analysis can be rectified without relinquishing its methodological advantages, and that moral constraints can be formalized so as to make their analysis more rigorous. The book discusses various substantive and methodological choices involved in modeling deontological constraints. It proposes to determine the permissibility of any act or rule infringing a deontological constraint by means of mathematical threshold functions. The book presents the general structure of threshold functions, analyzes their elements, and addresses possible objections to this proposal. It then illustrates the implementation of constrained CBA in several legal fields, including the fight against terrorism, freedom of speech, anti-discrimination law, contract law, and legal paternalism.
Chris Jones
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- July 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199281978
- eISBN:
- 9780191602535
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199281971.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Public and Welfare
Important results in the applied welfare literature are used to extend a conventional Harberger cost-benefit analysis. A conventional welfare equation is obtained for marginal policy changes in a ...
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Important results in the applied welfare literature are used to extend a conventional Harberger cost-benefit analysis. A conventional welfare equation is obtained for marginal policy changes in a general equilibrium economy with tax distortions. It is extended to accommodate internationally traded goods, time, income taxes, and non-tax distortions, including externalities, non-competitive behaviour, public goods, and price-quantity controls. The welfare analysis is developed in stages, and where possible is explained using diagrams, to make it more amenable to the different institutional arrangements encountered in applied work. Computable welfare expressions are solved using demand-supply elasticities. In a conventional cost-benefit analysis, lump sum transfers are used to separate the welfare effects of individual policy variables. This is important because it allows policy evaluation to be divided across specialist agencies. These transfers are carefully examined to identify the important role played by the marginal social cost of public funds (MCF) in policy evaluation when governments balance their budgets with distorting taxes. This book separates income effects for marginal policy changes in the shadow value of government revenue. As a scaling coefficient that converts efficiency effects into dollar changes in private surplus, it makes income effects irrelevant in single (aggregated) consumer economies, and conveniently isolates distributional effects in heterogeneous consumer economies. This decomposition is used to test for Pareto improvements, and to examine the separate, but related roles of the shadow value of government revenue and the MCF in applied work.Less
Important results in the applied welfare literature are used to extend a conventional Harberger cost-benefit analysis. A conventional welfare equation is obtained for marginal policy changes in a general equilibrium economy with tax distortions. It is extended to accommodate internationally traded goods, time, income taxes, and non-tax distortions, including externalities, non-competitive behaviour, public goods, and price-quantity controls. The welfare analysis is developed in stages, and where possible is explained using diagrams, to make it more amenable to the different institutional arrangements encountered in applied work. Computable welfare expressions are solved using demand-supply elasticities. In a conventional cost-benefit analysis, lump sum transfers are used to separate the welfare effects of individual policy variables. This is important because it allows policy evaluation to be divided across specialist agencies. These transfers are carefully examined to identify the important role played by the marginal social cost of public funds (MCF) in policy evaluation when governments balance their budgets with distorting taxes. This book separates income effects for marginal policy changes in the shadow value of government revenue. As a scaling coefficient that converts efficiency effects into dollar changes in private surplus, it makes income effects irrelevant in single (aggregated) consumer economies, and conveniently isolates distributional effects in heterogeneous consumer economies. This decomposition is used to test for Pareto improvements, and to examine the separate, but related roles of the shadow value of government revenue and the MCF in applied work.
EYAL ZAMIR and BARAK MEDINA
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195372168
- eISBN:
- 9780199776078
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195372168.003.12
- Subject:
- Law, Philosophy of Law
The conclusion briefly summarizes the main argument of the book.
The conclusion briefly summarizes the main argument of the book.
Sabina Alkire
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199245796
- eISBN:
- 9780191600838
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199245797.003.0006
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The sixth and seventh chapters that make up Part II of the book consist of one practical and much narrower application of the capability approach, namely, a discussion of how economic analysis ...
More
The sixth and seventh chapters that make up Part II of the book consist of one practical and much narrower application of the capability approach, namely, a discussion of how economic analysis (cost‐benefit analysis) and systematic qualitative information on human impacts can be combined in order to assess the relative effectiveness of particular development activities in expanding human capabilities. This sixth chapter on assessing capability change first gives an introduction to Part II. It goes on to defend the necessity of efficiency considerations, such as those that are incorporated in cost‐benefit analysis and in project evaluation, and then looks at capability set analysis by reviewing two prominent participatory assessment methodologies that have been developed to supplement economic considerations with social data: one by the World Bank (participatory social assessment), the other as a result of US legislation governing public expenditure (social impact assessment). Both of these lack a systematic method for identifying changes valued by participants themselves and for devolving real control over a decision to the lowest level capable of making it, and this lack increases the chance of significant bias in gathering and interpreting value judgements. In response, a novel method of impact assessment is described that would complement and improve available assessment tools; the method of impact assessment represents one way in which the framework of the preceding chapters could be used.Less
The sixth and seventh chapters that make up Part II of the book consist of one practical and much narrower application of the capability approach, namely, a discussion of how economic analysis (cost‐benefit analysis) and systematic qualitative information on human impacts can be combined in order to assess the relative effectiveness of particular development activities in expanding human capabilities. This sixth chapter on assessing capability change first gives an introduction to Part II. It goes on to defend the necessity of efficiency considerations, such as those that are incorporated in cost‐benefit analysis and in project evaluation, and then looks at capability set analysis by reviewing two prominent participatory assessment methodologies that have been developed to supplement economic considerations with social data: one by the World Bank (participatory social assessment), the other as a result of US legislation governing public expenditure (social impact assessment). Both of these lack a systematic method for identifying changes valued by participants themselves and for devolving real control over a decision to the lowest level capable of making it, and this lack increases the chance of significant bias in gathering and interpreting value judgements. In response, a novel method of impact assessment is described that would complement and improve available assessment tools; the method of impact assessment represents one way in which the framework of the preceding chapters could be used.
EYAL ZAMIR and BARAK MEDINA
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195372168
- eISBN:
- 9780199776078
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195372168.003.01
- Subject:
- Law, Philosophy of Law
This chapter presents welfare economics and its consequentialist nature. It first discusses the main features of positive and normative economic analysis and the meaning of “consequentialism.” It ...
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This chapter presents welfare economics and its consequentialist nature. It first discusses the main features of positive and normative economic analysis and the meaning of “consequentialism.” It then analyzes the deontological critique of consequentialism, specifically consequentialism's lack of constraints on attaining the best outcomes. It critically examines various attempts at defending consequentialism in general, and welfare economics in particular, against this critique. It concludes that all of the attempts to downplay, deny, or circumvent the deontological critique are doomed to failure. The responses that come closest to actually addressing the critique do so by endorsing deontological constraints (and options) on the factoral level. They imply that agents and policy-makers should only strive to attain the overall best outcomes subject to constraints and that agents sometimes have options not to attain the best outcomes.Less
This chapter presents welfare economics and its consequentialist nature. It first discusses the main features of positive and normative economic analysis and the meaning of “consequentialism.” It then analyzes the deontological critique of consequentialism, specifically consequentialism's lack of constraints on attaining the best outcomes. It critically examines various attempts at defending consequentialism in general, and welfare economics in particular, against this critique. It concludes that all of the attempts to downplay, deny, or circumvent the deontological critique are doomed to failure. The responses that come closest to actually addressing the critique do so by endorsing deontological constraints (and options) on the factoral level. They imply that agents and policy-makers should only strive to attain the overall best outcomes subject to constraints and that agents sometimes have options not to attain the best outcomes.
E. J. Milner-Gulland and Marcus Rowcliffe
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780198530367
- eISBN:
- 9780191713095
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198530367.003.0003
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
This chapter summarizes the methods available for collecting data about people's motivations for natural resource use, thus providing information on the social and economic facets of sustainability. ...
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This chapter summarizes the methods available for collecting data about people's motivations for natural resource use, thus providing information on the social and economic facets of sustainability. The key methods covered include questionnaire surveys, participatory methods, direct observations, experimental economics, cost-benefit analysis and the use of existing databases such as government records. The emphasis is on effective sampling in order to provide representative quantitative results, but qualitative methods for understanding resource users' motivations are also covered. Research on people can cause significant harm if not carried out sensitively, and ethical issues are examined, outlining the steps needed to avoid any negative impacts of the research. Understanding social and economic sustainability generally requires a case-specific combination of techniques, and a set of case studies is used to illustrate a range of possible approaches.Less
This chapter summarizes the methods available for collecting data about people's motivations for natural resource use, thus providing information on the social and economic facets of sustainability. The key methods covered include questionnaire surveys, participatory methods, direct observations, experimental economics, cost-benefit analysis and the use of existing databases such as government records. The emphasis is on effective sampling in order to provide representative quantitative results, but qualitative methods for understanding resource users' motivations are also covered. Research on people can cause significant harm if not carried out sensitively, and ethical issues are examined, outlining the steps needed to avoid any negative impacts of the research. Understanding social and economic sustainability generally requires a case-specific combination of techniques, and a set of case studies is used to illustrate a range of possible approaches.
Jiunn-rong Yeh
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199934386
- eISBN:
- 9780199333028
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199934386.003.0006
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Cost-benefit analysis is a detailed, technical, and potentially confusing process. When cost-benefit analysis is prepared for executive oversight, it tends to include high levels of quantification ...
More
Cost-benefit analysis is a detailed, technical, and potentially confusing process. When cost-benefit analysis is prepared for executive oversight, it tends to include high levels of quantification and monetization, but when the general public becomes the decision-making authority, cost-benefit analysis must be made comprehensible to a broader audience. The author uses the example of casino gambling in Taiwan to illustrate how changes in decision-making authorities precipitate changes in analysis. When the general public makes a final decision, cost-benefit analysis takes on a more dialectic dimension, engaging people with divergent concerns in discussions and presentations of their views. This dialectic process of cost-benefit analysis may help improve the quality of cost-benefit analysis as an effective tool for decision making and spur the development of different versions of cost-benefit analysis tailored to different decision-making contexts.Less
Cost-benefit analysis is a detailed, technical, and potentially confusing process. When cost-benefit analysis is prepared for executive oversight, it tends to include high levels of quantification and monetization, but when the general public becomes the decision-making authority, cost-benefit analysis must be made comprehensible to a broader audience. The author uses the example of casino gambling in Taiwan to illustrate how changes in decision-making authorities precipitate changes in analysis. When the general public makes a final decision, cost-benefit analysis takes on a more dialectic dimension, engaging people with divergent concerns in discussions and presentations of their views. This dialectic process of cost-benefit analysis may help improve the quality of cost-benefit analysis as an effective tool for decision making and spur the development of different versions of cost-benefit analysis tailored to different decision-making contexts.
Wilfred Beckerman and Joanna Pasek
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199245086
- eISBN:
- 9780191598784
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199245088.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
This chapter discusses critically the main criticisms of the use of cost‐benefit analysis in environmental policy, such as the incommensurability of environmental values with the values born by ...
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This chapter discusses critically the main criticisms of the use of cost‐benefit analysis in environmental policy, such as the incommensurability of environmental values with the values born by marketable goods, and the related unreliability of estimates of peoples’ willingness to pay for environmental protection. While it is found that there is some strength in these criticisms, it is still necessary to take account of the resource constraint involved in decisions concerning public goods. Furthermore, a democratic society needs some impartial and transparent process for solving allocation problems. However, the need to reconcile the valid objections made by environmentalists to cost‐benefit analysis with the problems raised by resource constraints raises new problems of political theory and institutions.Less
This chapter discusses critically the main criticisms of the use of cost‐benefit analysis in environmental policy, such as the incommensurability of environmental values with the values born by marketable goods, and the related unreliability of estimates of peoples’ willingness to pay for environmental protection. While it is found that there is some strength in these criticisms, it is still necessary to take account of the resource constraint involved in decisions concerning public goods. Furthermore, a democratic society needs some impartial and transparent process for solving allocation problems. However, the need to reconcile the valid objections made by environmentalists to cost‐benefit analysis with the problems raised by resource constraints raises new problems of political theory and institutions.
Christopher Charlier and Egizio Valceschini
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199542482
- eISBN:
- 9780191594342
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199542482.003.0003
- Subject:
- Law, Environmental and Energy Law
Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is an attempt to estimate a monetary value for environmental or public health degradation. In a regulatory context, it should be seen as a complementary tool to risk ...
More
Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is an attempt to estimate a monetary value for environmental or public health degradation. In a regulatory context, it should be seen as a complementary tool to risk assessment for the purposes of public decision-making. CBA should, therefore, be particularly relevant in the governance of modern biotechnology. GMOs, however, provide a ‘textbook case’ of the complexity which results from any attempt to conduct CBA in relation to innovation, this being a function of their novelty, the ethical concerns which they raise, their economic importance, the danger of potentially irreversible effects on biodiversity, the absence of scientific unanimity in risk assessment, and consumer fear. This chapter underlines the importance of CBA in the regulation of GMOs and highlights the specific difficulties with which such analysis is confronted. It argues that these difficulties should not be considered as a reason to dispense with economic evaluation.Less
Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is an attempt to estimate a monetary value for environmental or public health degradation. In a regulatory context, it should be seen as a complementary tool to risk assessment for the purposes of public decision-making. CBA should, therefore, be particularly relevant in the governance of modern biotechnology. GMOs, however, provide a ‘textbook case’ of the complexity which results from any attempt to conduct CBA in relation to innovation, this being a function of their novelty, the ethical concerns which they raise, their economic importance, the danger of potentially irreversible effects on biodiversity, the absence of scientific unanimity in risk assessment, and consumer fear. This chapter underlines the importance of CBA in the regulation of GMOs and highlights the specific difficulties with which such analysis is confronted. It argues that these difficulties should not be considered as a reason to dispense with economic evaluation.
Luc Bodiguel and Michael Cardwell (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199542482
- eISBN:
- 9780191594342
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199542482.001.0001
- Subject:
- Law, Environmental and Energy Law
The regulation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) continues to generate controversy. On the one hand, they are actively promoted by the biotechnology industry as vital to ensuring food ...
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The regulation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) continues to generate controversy. On the one hand, they are actively promoted by the biotechnology industry as vital to ensuring food security. Yet, on the other hand, consumer resistance persists, not least in the European Union, and such lack of confidence extends not just to GM food itself but also to the regulatory regime, where legal issues are inextricably linked with economics and politics. This book provides a novel contribution to the ongoing debate, recognizing that the legislative environment is complicated by forces as varied as national public opinion and world trade commitments. The book is divided into four parts. The first addresses the influence in this context of civil society, economic imperatives, and differing approaches to risk. The second part is directed to the measures that have been implemented in the European Union, considering multi-level governance, wider aspects of food law, coexistence with conventional and organic crops, and environmental liability. The third part is more overtly comparative in focus, with chapters covering the diverse regimes implemented in Africa, North America, and South America. The book concludes with chapters on world trade and international considerations, including analysis of the EC — Biotech case.Less
The regulation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) continues to generate controversy. On the one hand, they are actively promoted by the biotechnology industry as vital to ensuring food security. Yet, on the other hand, consumer resistance persists, not least in the European Union, and such lack of confidence extends not just to GM food itself but also to the regulatory regime, where legal issues are inextricably linked with economics and politics. This book provides a novel contribution to the ongoing debate, recognizing that the legislative environment is complicated by forces as varied as national public opinion and world trade commitments. The book is divided into four parts. The first addresses the influence in this context of civil society, economic imperatives, and differing approaches to risk. The second part is directed to the measures that have been implemented in the European Union, considering multi-level governance, wider aspects of food law, coexistence with conventional and organic crops, and environmental liability. The third part is more overtly comparative in focus, with chapters covering the diverse regimes implemented in Africa, North America, and South America. The book concludes with chapters on world trade and international considerations, including analysis of the EC — Biotech case.
Sabina Alkire
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199245796
- eISBN:
- 9780191600838
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199245797.003.0007
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The sixth and seventh chapters that make up Part II of the book consist of one practical and much narrower application of the capability approach, namely, a discussion of how economic analysis ...
More
The sixth and seventh chapters that make up Part II of the book consist of one practical and much narrower application of the capability approach, namely, a discussion of how economic analysis (cost‐benefit analysis) and systematic qualitative information on human impacts can be combined in order to assess the relative effectiveness of particular development activities in expanding human capabilities. This seventh chapter comprises case studies of three small Oxfam activities in Pakistan on which both cost‐benefit analysis and the further assessment of impacts were applied. The methodology described in Ch. 6 was developed, and these case studies were conducted, over nine months of field research in Pakistan with non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) that undertake income generation activities among poor communities using participatory methods. The aim was to develop a participatory method for evaluating development activities (at different stages of implementation) that field staff could implement themselves, and that would facilitate the kind of self‐direction and scrutiny of values issues advocated by Amartya Sen's capability approach. The three case studies were of women's income generation activities in Pakistan: loans for goat‐rearing, involving the local NGO the Rural Women's Welfare Organization; adult literacy and community development—the Khoj literacy activity project; and rose cultivation, involving the Marvi Women's Organization in the village of Arabsolangi, Sindh.Less
The sixth and seventh chapters that make up Part II of the book consist of one practical and much narrower application of the capability approach, namely, a discussion of how economic analysis (cost‐benefit analysis) and systematic qualitative information on human impacts can be combined in order to assess the relative effectiveness of particular development activities in expanding human capabilities. This seventh chapter comprises case studies of three small Oxfam activities in Pakistan on which both cost‐benefit analysis and the further assessment of impacts were applied. The methodology described in Ch. 6 was developed, and these case studies were conducted, over nine months of field research in Pakistan with non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) that undertake income generation activities among poor communities using participatory methods. The aim was to develop a participatory method for evaluating development activities (at different stages of implementation) that field staff could implement themselves, and that would facilitate the kind of self‐direction and scrutiny of values issues advocated by Amartya Sen's capability approach. The three case studies were of women's income generation activities in Pakistan: loans for goat‐rearing, involving the local NGO the Rural Women's Welfare Organization; adult literacy and community development—the Khoj literacy activity project; and rose cultivation, involving the Marvi Women's Organization in the village of Arabsolangi, Sindh.
Panagiotis Delimatsis
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199533152
- eISBN:
- 9780191714528
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199533152.003.0004
- Subject:
- Law, Public International Law
This chapter untangles the issue of regulatory diversity in services trade. After a review of the rationales behind governmental intervention, it provides a thorough analysis of the GATS provisions ...
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This chapter untangles the issue of regulatory diversity in services trade. After a review of the rationales behind governmental intervention, it provides a thorough analysis of the GATS provisions dealing with domestic regulation — notably Article VI thereof — and their relationship with the other GATS provisions dealing more directly with market opening and services trade liberalization such as Articles XVI on market access and XVII on national treatment. In addition, the chapter identifies the rationale behind extensive regulatory intervention in the area of services. In this regard, useful tools for the need of governmental intervention, such as cost-benefit analysis or regulatory impact assessment, are discussed.Less
This chapter untangles the issue of regulatory diversity in services trade. After a review of the rationales behind governmental intervention, it provides a thorough analysis of the GATS provisions dealing with domestic regulation — notably Article VI thereof — and their relationship with the other GATS provisions dealing more directly with market opening and services trade liberalization such as Articles XVI on market access and XVII on national treatment. In addition, the chapter identifies the rationale behind extensive regulatory intervention in the area of services. In this regard, useful tools for the need of governmental intervention, such as cost-benefit analysis or regulatory impact assessment, are discussed.
Sabina Alkire
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199245796
- eISBN:
- 9780191600838
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199245797.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The author examines how Amartya Sen's capability approach can be coherently—and practically—put to work in participatory poverty reduction activities so that the voices and values of the poor matter. ...
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The author examines how Amartya Sen's capability approach can be coherently—and practically—put to work in participatory poverty reduction activities so that the voices and values of the poor matter. Sen argues that economic development should expand ‘valuable’ capabilities; the author probes how what is valuable can be identified. Sen deliberately left the capability approach ‘incomplete’ in order to ensure its relevance to persons and cultures with different understandings of the good. The book has an introductory chapter, followed by 2 parts, and a brief appendix that looks at some of Sen's formalized relationships and proposes various amendments to these. Part I (4 chapters) proposes a framework for identifying valuable capabilities that retains this ‘fundamental’ incompleteness and space for individual and cultural diversity. It draws Sen's work into discussion with a number of authors and critics, especially John Finnis, in order to suggest a possible way in which the value issues may be addressed coherently, and the methodological implications worked out in a participatory manner. The author addresses foundational issues regarding the identification and pursuit of valuable dimensions of human development based in practical reason, then observes that much of the criticism of development arises from negative impacts on social or cultural/religious dimensions that are also deeply valued by the poor. Part I closes with a four‐part ‘operational definition’ of basic capability that bridges ‘basic needs’, participation, and informed consent. Part II (2 chapters) critically discusses one narrow set of methodologies (those of micro‐project evaluation) and suggests a tool for improving the evaluation of participatory projects that are consistent with the tenets of reason advanced in Part I—an alternative participatory method for systematically identifying valued changes in participants’ capability sets. Three case studies of women's income generation activities in Pakistan—goat‐rearing, adult literacy, and rose cultivation—contrast economic cost‐benefit analysis of each activity with capability analysis.Less
The author examines how Amartya Sen's capability approach can be coherently—and practically—put to work in participatory poverty reduction activities so that the voices and values of the poor matter. Sen argues that economic development should expand ‘valuable’ capabilities; the author probes how what is valuable can be identified. Sen deliberately left the capability approach ‘incomplete’ in order to ensure its relevance to persons and cultures with different understandings of the good. The book has an introductory chapter, followed by 2 parts, and a brief appendix that looks at some of Sen's formalized relationships and proposes various amendments to these. Part I (4 chapters) proposes a framework for identifying valuable capabilities that retains this ‘fundamental’ incompleteness and space for individual and cultural diversity. It draws Sen's work into discussion with a number of authors and critics, especially John Finnis, in order to suggest a possible way in which the value issues may be addressed coherently, and the methodological implications worked out in a participatory manner. The author addresses foundational issues regarding the identification and pursuit of valuable dimensions of human development based in practical reason, then observes that much of the criticism of development arises from negative impacts on social or cultural/religious dimensions that are also deeply valued by the poor. Part I closes with a four‐part ‘operational definition’ of basic capability that bridges ‘basic needs’, participation, and informed consent. Part II (2 chapters) critically discusses one narrow set of methodologies (those of micro‐project evaluation) and suggests a tool for improving the evaluation of participatory projects that are consistent with the tenets of reason advanced in Part I—an alternative participatory method for systematically identifying valued changes in participants’ capability sets. Three case studies of women's income generation activities in Pakistan—goat‐rearing, adult literacy, and rose cultivation—contrast economic cost‐benefit analysis of each activity with capability analysis.
Wilfred Beckerman and Joanna Pasek
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199245086
- eISBN:
- 9780191598784
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199245088.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
Generations are not homogeneous entities and are composed of individuals and nations that have conflicting interests in the way in which resources are allocated among competing uses. This chapter ...
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Generations are not homogeneous entities and are composed of individuals and nations that have conflicting interests in the way in which resources are allocated among competing uses. This chapter discusses whether ‘the environment’, or ‘nature’, should enjoy special status in any allocation; whether the economist's approach is too anthropocentric; the concept of ‘intrinsic’ values; and the application of these concepts to environmental valuation. It is argued that while many environmental assets are ‘public goods’, so that the free market is unlikely to supply the socially optimal amount, the same applies to many other things, such as public health or education services or the arts, not to mention the fact that most people in the world are, anyway, in dire need of a simple increase in their ability to buy simple basic private goods. This means that the allocation of resources to environmental objectives ought to take into account some form of cost‐benefit analysis.Less
Generations are not homogeneous entities and are composed of individuals and nations that have conflicting interests in the way in which resources are allocated among competing uses. This chapter discusses whether ‘the environment’, or ‘nature’, should enjoy special status in any allocation; whether the economist's approach is too anthropocentric; the concept of ‘intrinsic’ values; and the application of these concepts to environmental valuation. It is argued that while many environmental assets are ‘public goods’, so that the free market is unlikely to supply the socially optimal amount, the same applies to many other things, such as public health or education services or the arts, not to mention the fact that most people in the world are, anyway, in dire need of a simple increase in their ability to buy simple basic private goods. This means that the allocation of resources to environmental objectives ought to take into account some form of cost‐benefit analysis.
Devi Sridhar
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199549962
- eISBN:
- 9780191720499
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199549962.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics, Political Economy
This chapter describes how hunger is addressed by the Bank nutrition team. It examines the interlacing of economic ideology and politics in World Bank nutrition policy through focusing on the periods ...
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This chapter describes how hunger is addressed by the Bank nutrition team. It examines the interlacing of economic ideology and politics in World Bank nutrition policy through focusing on the periods 1971-1980, 1980-1993, and 1993-2006. It concludes that undernutrition is constructed as a matter of choice for households.Less
This chapter describes how hunger is addressed by the Bank nutrition team. It examines the interlacing of economic ideology and politics in World Bank nutrition policy through focusing on the periods 1971-1980, 1980-1993, and 1993-2006. It concludes that undernutrition is constructed as a matter of choice for households.
Michael A. Livermore, A. J. Glusman, and Gonzalo Moyano
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199934386
- eISBN:
- 9780199333028
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199934386.003.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
While cost-benefit analysis is not as prevalent in developing and emerging countries, the use of cost-benefit analysis as an aid to environmental decision-making has expanded in recent years in ...
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While cost-benefit analysis is not as prevalent in developing and emerging countries, the use of cost-benefit analysis as an aid to environmental decision-making has expanded in recent years in countries throughout Latin America, Asia, and Africa. In the context of developing and emerging economies, cost-benefit analysis has special potential to add quality, transparency, and efficiency to environmental, public health, and safety regulation. While there are important differences between regulating in a large, advanced economy and a small, rising economy, appropriate use of cost-benefit analysis can help improve government decision-making in a range of different circumstances around the world. Growing environmental and public health threats from industrialization have increased demand for stronger environmental policies around the globe, bringing the need for a systematic tool to compare costs to benefits.Less
While cost-benefit analysis is not as prevalent in developing and emerging countries, the use of cost-benefit analysis as an aid to environmental decision-making has expanded in recent years in countries throughout Latin America, Asia, and Africa. In the context of developing and emerging economies, cost-benefit analysis has special potential to add quality, transparency, and efficiency to environmental, public health, and safety regulation. While there are important differences between regulating in a large, advanced economy and a small, rising economy, appropriate use of cost-benefit analysis can help improve government decision-making in a range of different circumstances around the world. Growing environmental and public health threats from industrialization have increased demand for stronger environmental policies around the globe, bringing the need for a systematic tool to compare costs to benefits.
Douglas A. Kysar
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300120011
- eISBN:
- 9780300163308
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300120011.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
Drawing insight from a diverse array of sources—including moral philosophy, political theory, cognitive psychology, ecology, and science and technology studies—this book offers a new theoretical ...
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Drawing insight from a diverse array of sources—including moral philosophy, political theory, cognitive psychology, ecology, and science and technology studies—this book offers a new theoretical basis for understanding environmental law and policy. The book exposes a critical flaw in the dominant policy paradigm of risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis, which asks policymakers to, in essence, “regulate from nowhere.” It shows that such an objectivist stance fails to adequately motivate ethical engagement with the most pressing and challenging aspects of environmental law and policy, which concern how we relate to future generations, foreign nations, and other forms of life. Indeed, world governments struggle to address climate change and other pressing environmental issues in large part because dominant methods of policy analysis obscure the central reasons for acting to ensure environmental sustainability. To compensate for these shortcomings, the book first offers a novel defense of the precautionary principle and other commonly misunderstood features of environmental law and policy. It then concludes by advocating a movement toward environmental constitutionalism in which the ability of life to flourish is always regarded as a luxury we can afford.Less
Drawing insight from a diverse array of sources—including moral philosophy, political theory, cognitive psychology, ecology, and science and technology studies—this book offers a new theoretical basis for understanding environmental law and policy. The book exposes a critical flaw in the dominant policy paradigm of risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis, which asks policymakers to, in essence, “regulate from nowhere.” It shows that such an objectivist stance fails to adequately motivate ethical engagement with the most pressing and challenging aspects of environmental law and policy, which concern how we relate to future generations, foreign nations, and other forms of life. Indeed, world governments struggle to address climate change and other pressing environmental issues in large part because dominant methods of policy analysis obscure the central reasons for acting to ensure environmental sustainability. To compensate for these shortcomings, the book first offers a novel defense of the precautionary principle and other commonly misunderstood features of environmental law and policy. It then concludes by advocating a movement toward environmental constitutionalism in which the ability of life to flourish is always regarded as a luxury we can afford.
Theodore M. Porter
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199546350
- eISBN:
- 9780191720048
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199546350.003.0014
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies, Finance, Accounting, and Banking
The standing of accounting among the academic disciplines has never been very high, in part because the work of accounting is not regarded as suitably creative. Yet when we think of knowledge as a ...
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The standing of accounting among the academic disciplines has never been very high, in part because the work of accounting is not regarded as suitably creative. Yet when we think of knowledge as a set of institutionalized practices, the subservience of accounting to the sciences and to the ancient professions may be reversed. Fields like economics, engineering, biology, and medicine cannot escape the twin imperatives of commensuration and accountability, especially when these are brought to bear on matters of recognized public importance. In this regard, the career of cost-benefit quantification is exemplary. Knowledge and rationality, whenever they touch on politics and policy, have become closely bound up with a logic of accountancy.Less
The standing of accounting among the academic disciplines has never been very high, in part because the work of accounting is not regarded as suitably creative. Yet when we think of knowledge as a set of institutionalized practices, the subservience of accounting to the sciences and to the ancient professions may be reversed. Fields like economics, engineering, biology, and medicine cannot escape the twin imperatives of commensuration and accountability, especially when these are brought to bear on matters of recognized public importance. In this regard, the career of cost-benefit quantification is exemplary. Knowledge and rationality, whenever they touch on politics and policy, have become closely bound up with a logic of accountancy.