Cost Benefit Analysis

Paper Summary:

The Cost Benefit Analysis Theory involves weighing the cost to do or acquire something and benefit that it would return from the process. This paper shows that carrying out a cost benefit analysis is a technical exercise involving numerous choices and calculations. The more complicated the decision being addressed, the more care should be taken to identify and measure key variables and to analyze them appropriately. The paper looks at how the theory is applied to public policy decision making and the issues that are examined to determine benefits to different segments of the population.

From the Paper:

"At the same time that society has become increasingly complex we have entered a political era when the social benefits of governmental activities are increasingly questioned. As we have experienced an increase in the unintended outcomes and unexpected consequences resulting from public policy, there has been an increasing call from many quarters to subject all government programs to an examination by cost-benefit analysis, because cost-benefit analysis provides a means of comparing complex projects, even when benefits and costs occur during different time periods (Leonard, HB. & Zeckhauser, R.J1983)."

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