From AEI and The Heritage Foundation:
Natural Resources, Energy, Environment, & Science
How Much Do We Care about the Air? Evidence on the Value of Air Quality Improvements
by Douglas Noonan
American Enterprise Institute
December 20, 2011
This report attempts to explain the variation in air quality values and disentangle the methodological factors from the policy-relevant contextual ones. A meta-analysis is conducted in order to test those hypotheses. After collecting and coding over 50 empirical studies of air quality benefits, the benefits estimates are normalized and converted to a common metric for benefits of or willingness-to-pay (WTP) for air quality improvements. Enormous variation in normalized WTP is observed in the literature. Some of the results are expected, such as diminishing returns to further improvements. Other results are less expected, such as the higher values associated with peer-reviewed studies. The relationship between benefit estimates and income is less straightforward, with benefits rising in income for wealthy nations but declining in income for developing countries. These results have useful lessons for those designing air quality policy informed by how much the public benefits from improvements.
URL: www.aei.org/files/2011/12/14/-how-much-do-we-care-about-the-air-evidence-on-the-value-of-air-quality-improvements_14101680650.pdf
Natural Resources, Energy, Environment, & Science
How Much Do We Care about the Air? Evidence on the Value of Air Quality Improvements
by Douglas Noonan
American Enterprise Institute
December 20, 2011
This report attempts to explain the variation in air quality values and disentangle the methodological factors from the policy-relevant contextual ones. A meta-analysis is conducted in order to test those hypotheses. After collecting and coding over 50 empirical studies of air quality benefits, the benefits estimates are normalized and converted to a common metric for benefits of or willingness-to-pay (WTP) for air quality improvements. Enormous variation in normalized WTP is observed in the literature. Some of the results are expected, such as diminishing returns to further improvements. Other results are less expected, such as the higher values associated with peer-reviewed studies. The relationship between benefit estimates and income is less straightforward, with benefits rising in income for wealthy nations but declining in income for developing countries. These results have useful lessons for those designing air quality policy informed by how much the public benefits from improvements.
URL: www.aei.org/files/2011/12/14/-how-much-do-we-care-about-the-air-evidence-on-the-value-of-air-quality-improvements_14101680650.pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment