Search results for ""Author Robert J. Brent""

This fully updated new edition continues in the vein of its predecessor by viewing cost-benefit analysis as applied welfare economics, while at the same time building on the earlier framework by extending the theory and providing further applications in each chapter. New for this edition are analyses of theory related applications in mental health, condom social marketing programs, female primary education as a means of preventing HIV/AIDS and the pricing of natural gas. Presented in an integrated manner, the theoretical concepts are constructed around the main building blocks of CBA, such as shadow pricing, distribution weights, the social discount rate and the marginal cost of public funds. This edition will cement the book's place as a major and accessible text in the field and will be of great interest to graduate and undergraduate students of welfare economics and microeconomic theory, as well as government economists involved with any area of public policy.

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This Handbook provides an authoritative overview of current research in the field of cost-benefit analysis and is designed as a starting point for those interested in undertaking advanced research. The Handbook contains major contributions to the development of the field, focussing on standard microeconomic policy evaluations, the relatively neglected area of macroeconomic policy and its integration into a formal CBA framework, and dynamic considerations in CBAPresenting insights from many influential thinkers, and edited by a leading academic in the field, this comprehensive work will prove an invaluable reference tool for economists, researchers and scholars.

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Cost-benefit analysis is a key component in the evaluation of economic development strategies. In this new, updated version of his earlier book, Project Appraisal for Developing Countries, Robert Brent provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to recent developments in project appraisal. Cost-Benefit Analysis for Developing Countries interprets, expands and evaluates the principles of project appraisal using the approach recommended by the World Bank. Robert Brent challenges a number of their findings, particularly through the inclusion of the 'numbers effect', the number of people affected by a development project, as a separate social objective. The book is based on a combination of sound economic theory and extensive empirical research, and case studies are used throughout to illustrate the theory. The author analyses, from an applied perspective, the most recent developments in project appraisal. He discusses key issues such as: structural adjustment lending investment criteria the basic needs approach shadow and market prices the social discount rate risk analysis. Cost-Benefit Analysis for Developing Countries will be essential reading for students with an interest in development economics, development studies, public policy and comparative economic systems as well as policymakers and practitioners in international organisations and developing countries.

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This ground-breaking book expertly brings together the many effective dementia interventions to reduce the symptoms of this debilitating condition and also, for the first time, a Cost-Benefit Analysis of those interventions to establish whether the benefits outweigh the costs. Focussing on new interventions such as years of education, medicare eligibility, hearing aids and vision correction, Robert Brent also takes an innovative look at the need to reduce elder abuse and initiate an international convention for human rights. Cost-Benefit Analysis and Dementia takes an insightful look at dementia by using a behavioural definition and explaining how the symptoms can affect daily life activities, rather than just using the medical definition. It examines the causality of dementia interventions to establish their effectiveness, dealing with the risk factors and expanding the current list of interventions. Furthermore, it provides an in-depth three-step procedure for evaluating the monetary benefits of those interventions to establish whether these are found to be socially worthwhile. Written in a comprehensive, yet accessible style, this book will be an excellent resource for economists interested in the Cost-Benefit Analysis of dementia care. Healthcare professionals and policymakers as well as non-professionals will find the different interventions discussed to reduce symptoms of dementia illuminating and informative.

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Cost-benefit analysis is the only method of economic evaluation that can effectively indicate whether a health care treatment or intervention is worthwhile. In this thoroughly updated and revised second edition, Robert Brent expands the scope of the field by including the latest concepts and applications throughout all regions of the world. This book attempts to strengthen the link between cost-benefit analysis and the mainstream health care evaluation field, which is dominated by non-economists. The need to build a bridge between the two is more important than ever before, as the general understanding of cost-benefit analysis appears to have regressed.Case studies are used throughout to explain and illustrate the various methodologies being examined. In addition, the author now covers more of the statistical requirements that are necessary to understand and carry out health care evaluations, and follows an applied economics approach. Ultimately, he resolves a number of disputes and makes some new, but subtle, contributions by reinterpreting, correcting and extending existing work. The book covers the topic in an accessible manner, from the foundations to the frontiers of the field, and clearly explains all the necessary economic principles along the way.Cost-Benefit Analysis and Health Care Evaluations, Second Edition will be invaluable to students and researchers of health economics, public policy and health care policy, as well as policymakers and health care practitioners. It can also be used as a comprehensive introductory text by anyone with an interest in cost-benefit analysis. From this perspective, the new additional final chapter is particularly useful as it supplies a summary of CBA that highlights the main conclusions of the text in a single chapter.Contents: 1. Introduction to Health Care Evaluation 2. Cost Minimization and the Definition of 'Cost' 3. Types of Costs and their Measurement 4. External Costs 5. Social Cost of Taxation 6. Fundamentals of Cost-effectiveness Aanalysis 7. Further Issues of Cost-effectiveness Analysis 8. Fundamentals of Cost utility Analysis 9. Measuring Utilities in Cost utility Analysis 10. Cost-utility Analysis and Equity 11. Cost-benefit Analysis and the Human Capital Approach 12. Cost-benefit Analysis and Willingness to Pay 13. Cost-benefit Analysis and Equity 14. Methods for Measuring the Benefits of HIV/AIDS Interventions Index

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This Handbook provides an authoritative overview of current research in the field of cost-benefit analysis and is designed as a starting point for those interested in undertaking advanced research. The Handbook contains major contributions to the development of the field, focussing on standard microeconomic policy evaluations, the relatively neglected area of macroeconomic policy and its integration into a formal CBA framework, and dynamic considerations in CBAPresenting insights from many influential thinkers, and edited by a leading academic in the field, this comprehensive work will prove an invaluable reference tool for economists, researchers and scholars.

Read more less

This fully updated new edition continues in the vein of its predecessor by viewing cost-benefit analysis as applied welfare economics, while at the same time building on the earlier framework by extending the theory and providing further applications in each chapter. New for this edition are analyses of theory related applications in mental health, condom social marketing programs, female primary education as a means of preventing HIV/AIDS and the pricing of natural gas. Presented in an integrated manner, the theoretical concepts are constructed around the main building blocks of CBA, such as shadow pricing, distribution weights, the social discount rate and the marginal cost of public funds. This edition will cement the book's place as a major and accessible text in the field and will be of great interest to graduate and undergraduate students of welfare economics and microeconomic theory, as well as government economists involved with any area of public policy.

Read more less

Cost-benefit analysis is a key component in the evaluation of economic development strategies. In this new, updated version of his earlier book, Project Appraisal for Developing Countries, Robert Brent provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to recent developments in project appraisal. Cost-Benefit Analysis for Developing Countries interprets, expands and evaluates the principles of project appraisal using the approach recommended by the World Bank. Robert Brent challenges a number of their findings, particularly through the inclusion of the 'numbers effect', the number of people affected by a development project, as a separate social objective. The book is based on a combination of sound economic theory and extensive empirical research, and case studies are used throughout to illustrate the theory. The author analyses, from an applied perspective, the most recent developments in project appraisal. He discusses key issues such as: structural adjustment lending investment criteria the basic needs approach shadow and market prices the social discount rate risk analysis. Cost-Benefit Analysis for Developing Countries will be essential reading for students with an interest in development economics, development studies, public policy and comparative economic systems as well as policymakers and practitioners in international organisations and developing countries.

Read more less

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences and law, expertly written by the world s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. This concise yet comprehensive introduction aims to outline the core principles of Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), laying them out in an accessible manner with minimum technical detail. The applied nature of the subject is emphasized by showing how each of the principles is applied to an actual public policy intervention, covering transport, education, health and the environment. Robert J. Brent demonstrates how economic efficiency and equity can be combined as social objectives to help determine decisions that can increase satisfaction for all. Covering the fundamental principles, this book presents applications for every concept discussed and lays the foundations for further study in the field. It combines distribution with efficiency as the objectives of public policy, compares the CBA methodology with competing methods of allocating resources that satisfy basic needs, and analyses CBA from the perspective of modern applied welfare economics. The main conclusion is that CBA is the basis for understanding any kind of public policy decision regardless of the field of study, be that government expenditure, taxation or regulation, and irrespective of the tangible or intangible outcome the policy is attempting to influence.Both accessible and erudite, the Advanced Introduction to Cost Benefit Analysis will be essential reading for students of health, education, transportation, public finance, regulation, environmental and development economics, and political science, as well as the general reader interested in understanding how public policy should be implemented. Furthermore, the insightful analysis will appeal to practitioners working in government, public institutions and NGOs.

Read more less

This ground-breaking book expertly brings together the many effective dementia interventions to reduce the symptoms of this debilitating condition and also, for the first time, a Cost-Benefit Analysis of those interventions to establish whether the benefits outweigh the costs. Focussing on new interventions such as years of education, medicare eligibility, hearing aids and vision correction, Robert Brent also takes an innovative look at the need to reduce elder abuse and initiate an international convention for human rights. Cost-Benefit Analysis and Dementia takes an insightful look at dementia by using a behavioural definition and explaining how the symptoms can affect daily life activities, rather than just using the medical definition. It examines the causality of dementia interventions to establish their effectiveness, dealing with the risk factors and expanding the current list of interventions. Furthermore, it provides an in-depth three-step procedure for evaluating the monetary benefits of those interventions to establish whether these are found to be socially worthwhile. Written in a comprehensive, yet accessible style, this book will be an excellent resource for economists interested in the Cost-Benefit Analysis of dementia care. Healthcare professionals and policymakers as well as non-professionals will find the different interventions discussed to reduce symptoms of dementia illuminating and informative.

Read more less

HIV/AIDS is much too complex a phenomenon to be understood only by reference to common sense and ethical codes. This book presents the cost?benefit analysis (CBA) framework in a well-researched and accessible manner to ensure that the most important considerations are recognized and incorporated. This book argues that HIV/AIDS policies need to be evidence based and that CBA is the best way to assemble and summarize the evidence. The work explains why CBA is needed and highlights a number of myths, misinformation and counterintuitive results in the field, and critiques the Millennium Development Goals approach. It also presents HIV/AIDS as a hunger issue in sub-Saharan Africa and as a sexual transmission problem in the US. The roles of nutrition, income, education, religion, agricultural policy, concurrency and sexual networks are all examined. Robert Brent explains the main cost?benefit methods and applications, including threshold analysis, willingness to pay, cost minimization, cost-effectiveness, human capital theory and the value of a statistical life. Applications cover female education, possible vaccines, condoms, and various forms of treatment. He concludes by explaining how CBA incorporates social considerations such as equity.With timely and controversial discussions, this book will be read with interest by AIDS activists, NGO members, policy-makers and public officials, as well as being accessible to non-economists interested in the subject of HIV/AIDS.

Read more less

HIV/AIDS is much too complex a phenomenon to be understood only by reference to common sense and ethical codes. This book presents the cost?benefit analysis (CBA) framework in a well-researched and accessible manner to ensure that the most important considerations are recognized and incorporated. This book argues that HIV/AIDS policies need to be evidence based and that CBA is the best way to assemble and summarize the evidence. The work explains why CBA is needed and highlights a number of myths, misinformation and counterintuitive results in the field, and critiques the Millennium Development Goals approach. It also presents HIV/AIDS as a hunger issue in sub-Saharan Africa and as a sexual transmission problem in the US. The roles of nutrition, income, education, religion, agricultural policy, concurrency and sexual networks are all examined. Robert Brent explains the main cost?benefit methods and applications, including threshold analysis, willingness to pay, cost minimization, cost-effectiveness, human capital theory and the value of a statistical life. Applications cover female education, possible vaccines, condoms, and various forms of treatment. He concludes by explaining how CBA incorporates social considerations such as equity.With timely and controversial discussions, this book will be read with interest by AIDS activists, NGO members, policy-makers and public officials, as well as being accessible to non-economists interested in the subject of HIV/AIDS.

Read more less

Cost-benefit analysis is the only method of economic evaluation that can effectively indicate whether a health care treatment or intervention is worthwhile. In this thoroughly updated and revised second edition, Robert Brent expands the scope of the field by including the latest concepts and applications throughout all regions of the world. This book attempts to strengthen the link between cost-benefit analysis and the mainstream health care evaluation field, which is dominated by non-economists. The need to build a bridge between the two is more important than ever before, as the general understanding of cost-benefit analysis appears to have regressed.Case studies are used throughout to explain and illustrate the various methodologies being examined. In addition, the author now covers more of the statistical requirements that are necessary to understand and carry out health care evaluations, and follows an applied economics approach. Ultimately, he resolves a number of disputes and makes some new, but subtle, contributions by reinterpreting, correcting and extending existing work. The book covers the topic in an accessible manner, from the foundations to the frontiers of the field, and clearly explains all the necessary economic principles along the way.Cost-Benefit Analysis and Health Care Evaluations, Second Edition will be invaluable to students and researchers of health economics, public policy and health care policy, as well as policymakers and health care practitioners. It can also be used as a comprehensive introductory text by anyone with an interest in cost-benefit analysis. From this perspective, the new additional final chapter is particularly useful as it supplies a summary of CBA that highlights the main conclusions of the text in a single chapter.Contents: 1. Introduction to Health Care Evaluation 2. Cost Minimization and the Definition of 'Cost' 3. Types of Costs and their Measurement 4. External Costs 5. Social Cost of Taxation 6. Fundamentals of Cost-effectiveness Aanalysis 7. Further Issues of Cost-effectiveness Analysis 8. Fundamentals of Cost utility Analysis 9. Measuring Utilities in Cost utility Analysis 10. Cost-utility Analysis and Equity 11. Cost-benefit Analysis and the Human Capital Approach 12. Cost-benefit Analysis and Willingness to Pay 13. Cost-benefit Analysis and Equity 14. Methods for Measuring the Benefits of HIV/AIDS Interventions Index

Read more less

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences and law, expertly written by the world s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. This concise yet comprehensive introduction aims to outline the core principles of Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), laying them out in an accessible manner with minimum technical detail. The applied nature of the subject is emphasized by showing how each of the principles is applied to an actual public policy intervention, covering transport, education, health and the environment. Robert J. Brent demonstrates how economic efficiency and equity can be combined as social objectives to help determine decisions that can increase satisfaction for all. Covering the fundamental principles, this book presents applications for every concept discussed and lays the foundations for further study in the field. It combines distribution with efficiency as the objectives of public policy, compares the CBA methodology with competing methods of allocating resources that satisfy basic needs, and analyses CBA from the perspective of modern applied welfare economics. The main conclusion is that CBA is the basis for understanding any kind of public policy decision regardless of the field of study, be that government expenditure, taxation or regulation, and irrespective of the tangible or intangible outcome the policy is attempting to influence.Both accessible and erudite, the Advanced Introduction to Cost Benefit Analysis will be essential reading for students of health, education, transportation, public finance, regulation, environmental and development economics, and political science, as well as the general reader interested in understanding how public policy should be implemented. Furthermore, the insightful analysis will appeal to practitioners working in government, public institutions and NGOs.

Read more less