Evaluation Of Economic Benefits Research Articles

On the concept of normative evaluation of cost-effectiveness of GLONASS application in coastal regions

Russia promotes the application of GLONASS satellite information system in regional economies. In three regions, the system has already been introduced and is widely used, 21 more regions are introducing the system. Experts believe that this process will take from 3 to 5 years. The introduction and integrated use of GLONASS pose a number of organisational and economic problems for regional administrations. One of such problems is the evaluation of economic benefit from GLONASS implementation in the region. Economics has developed a large number of methodological approaches to the calculation of such effects in different fields of satellite information application: Earth's remote probing, crop yield forecasts, forestry, water industry and agricultural monitoring, etc. However, the research shows that attempts to perform a calculation for various fields of satellite information application at a regional level prove the existing approaches to be inefficient due to the difficulties in obtaining initial data. To this effect, the authors developed a normative methodical approach to the calculation of the effect of integrated GLONASS application. This approach is meant to fill the existing gap and makes it possible to evaluate the economic benefit of an integrated GLONASS application for different fields.

The Economic Evaluation of the Haibo Bay Reservoir Tourism

Abstract The economic evaluation of reservoir tourism is an important basis for the development of Haibo Bay reservoir. The premise of the economic evaluation of reservoir tourism is to forecast the number of tourists. It is a more feasible idea to adopt the analogy forecast in the absence of preliminary source data. On the basis of the predicted source, the scientific evaluation of tourism economic benefits can be measured by calculating the payback period and the benefit ratio of this reservoir.

P256 Investigating suspected pulmonary embolism as outpatient: the Portsmouth experience

IntroductionSuspected PE is a commonacute medical presentation. It continues to be a significant burden on the healthcare resources, hence it makes sense to investigate and manage stable patients with suspected...

Harvest evaluation model and system of fast-growing and high-yield poplar plantation

The paper is based on the research of forestry experts’ systems funded by “National Tenth-Five-Year 863 Plan”. In the context of the collective forest rights system reforms, in order to enhance the technological support to the farmers in the fast-growing and high-yield poplar cultivation, and to satisfy the actual needs of related enterprises, the study focuses on the fast-growing and high-yield poplar plantation harvest model and related decision-making criteria. Taking Populus tomentosa Carr as an example, by adopting the age–diameter at breast height growth model, diameter and tree height model, and the dual volume model based on Hebei Province’s data, the age–volume produce model is constructed; by adopting market price of the non-discount method which is relatively easy for farmers, PNW (Present Net Worth) and LEV (Land Expectation Value) calculation methods, the economic benefits evaluation model is established. By using the calculation results of these models as a decision-making benchmark, the growth model, evaluation model and a calculation example of Populus tomentosa Carr are obtained. Based on the above-mentioned studies, the components and functions, model base and model resolver algorithm of the system are designed, and the economic benefits forecast process is set. The result of the research is applied to the “National Eleventh-Five-Year Plan” funded program ”The research and application of key technologies in fast-growing and high-yield plantation production and management process informatization ”. And the application obtains a satisfied result. By using harvest evaluation system to conduct economic benefits analysis of poplar varieties, the farmers and the investors can predict future earnings and make decisions in reforestation.

Agglomeration Elasticities in New Zealand

This paper analyses the relationship between firms’ multi-factor productivity and the effective employment density of the areas where they operate. Quantifying these agglomeration elasticities is of central importance in the evaluation of the wider economic benefits of transport investments. We estimate agglomeration elasticities using the Statistics New Zealand prototype Longitudinal Business Database: a firm-level panel covering the period 1999 to 2006. We estimate that an area with 10 percent higher effective density has firms with productivity that is 0.69 percent higher, once we control for the industry specific production functions and sorting of more productive firms across industries and locations. We present separate estimates of agglomeration elasticities for specific industries and regions, and examine the interaction of agglomeration with capital, labour, and other inputs.

Comparative feasibility analysis of Wi-Fi in metropolitan and small municipalities: a system dynamics approach

Wireless broadband service has grown rapidly, with many local governments considering alternatives for providing such a service to their communities in order to make them more attractive to new businesses and tourists. The alternatives range from an unrestricted free market (with mixed service quality and coverage) to city- or community-sponsored service, which provides better control. The evaluation of such proposals is problematic due to the newness of the concept, which limits traditional cost-benefit analysis because of insufficient data. The system dynamics methodology is proposed for the analysis of Wi-Fi proposals in cities or local governments. The method is demonstrated with a comparison of the expected Wi-Fi performance for small and metropolitan locations, and an evaluation of safety (expected impact on crime), tourism (expected impact on visitors) and other economic benefits.

On the Evaluation of Economic Benefits of Japanese Telemedicine and Factors for Its Promotion

This paper attempts to estimate economic values of telemedicine and to extract factors that promote telemedicine through the use of survey data. This is the first analysis aimed at evaluating telemedicine in Japan. We utilized the Contingent Valuation Method and estimated demand functions of telemedicine. Because the number of institutions replying with willingness to pay (WTP) and willingness to undertake (WTU) is relatively small, the Kernel Estimation Method was applied. After estimating WTP and WTU, by multiplying the number of medical institutions currently implementing telemedicine, the whole value in Japan was obtained. By using the Tobit Model, factors that influence WTP and WTU were extracted. Estimated WTP was 35.23 dollars for teleradiology and 162.89 dollars for telepathology. WTU estimated was 39.81 dollars for teleradiology and 86.59 dollars for telepathology. Estimated economic benefits in Japan for 1 year were 1.27 million dollars for WTP of teleradiology and 278,600 dollars for telepathology. WTU is 10 million dollars for teleradiology and 393,400 dollars for telepathology. Medical institutions with the following characteristics tend to reply larger WTP: (1) university hospitals, (2) internal medicine, (3) radiology, and (4) use of video conference systems. Regarding WTU, the following characteristics influence WTU: (1) use of a personal computer, (2) use of telepathology equipment, (3) high satisfaction with the quality of telemedicine, and (4) experience base of telemedicine. Based on the nationwide survey on telemedicine, the total value of telemedicine in Japan was estimated. In addition to the evaluation, quantitative aspects of implementation of telemedicine, such as factors to promote telemedicine, are analyzed. These can provide useful information for further implementation of telemedicine not only in Japan but in other countries as well.

Evaluation of Economic Viability and Benefits of Urban Water Reuse and its Contribution to Sustainable Development

The main objective of this paper is to present and discuss the results of full-scale operation of five water reuse schemes using membranes for the production of high-quality recycled water for golf courses, landscape irrigation and other urban uses. The most important benefit is that it frees an equivalent volume of potable water for basic human needs. Reliability of supply of recycled water in times of drought, when potable water may be withheld from use for landscape irrigation, becomes a particularly important benefit to those for whom maintenance of an attractive landscape at all times is critical and when strong restrictions on water consumption are applied. In this context, membrane tertiary treatment appears as economically viable solution with addition al benefit of increasing the trust of end-users in health safety of recycled water.

Evaluation of Economic Viability and Benefits of Urban Water Reuse and its Contribution to Sustainable Development

Evaluation of Economic Viability and Benefits of Urban Water Reuse and its Contribution to Sustainable Development

住宅用ディスポーザ導入による経済性評価

住宅用ディスポーザ導入による経済性評価

Economic Evaluation of Food Security Benefits from Farmlands

Economic Evaluation of Food Security Benefits from Farmlands

Testing the Dose–Response Specification in Epidemiology: Public Health and Policy Consequences for Lead

Statistical evaluation of the dose–response function in lead epidemiology is rarely attempted. Economic evaluation of health benefits of lead reduction usually assumes a linear dose–response function, regardless of the outcome measure used. We reanalyzed a previously published study, an international pooled data set combining data from seven prospective lead studies examining contemporaneous blood lead effect on IQ (intelligence quotient) of 7-year-old children (n = 1,333). We constructed alternative linear multiple regression models with linear blood lead terms (linear–linear dose response) and natural-log–transformed blood lead terms (log-linear dose response). We tested the two lead specifications for nonlinearity in the models, compared the two lead specifications for significantly better fit to the data, and examined the effects of possible residual confounding on the functional form of the dose–response relationship. We found that a log-linear lead–IQ relationship was a significantly better fit than was a linear–linear relationship for IQ (p = 0.009), with little evidence of residual confounding of included model variables. We substituted the log-linear lead–IQ effect in a previously published health benefits model and found that the economic savings due to U.S. population lead decrease between 1976 and 1999 (from 17.1 μg/dL to 2.0 μg/dL) was 2.2 times ($319 billion) that calculated using a linear–linear dose–response function ($149 billion). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention action limit of 10 μg/dL for children fails to protect against most damage and economic cost attributable to lead exposure.

Valuing Volunteers: An Economic Evaluation of the Net Benefits of Hospital Volunteers

The use of volunteers in hospitals has been an age-old practice. This nonmarket community involvement is a distinctive aspect of North American life. Hospitals may be attracted to increase the use of volunteers, both to provide increased quality of care and to contain costs. Hospitals rely on the use of professional administrators to use the donated time of volunteers efficiently. This study examines the benefits and costs of volunteer programs and derives an estimate of the net value of volunteer programs that accrue to the hospitals and volunteers. In particular, the costs and benefits to hospitals are detailed. Using 31 hospitals in and around Toronto and surveying hospital volunteer administrators, hospital clinical staff members, and volunteers themselves, a striking pay-off for hospitals was found: an average of $6.84 in value from volunteers for every dollar spent—a return on investment of 684%. Civic and community participation is indeed valuable.

Economic benefits of public investment in weed management: the case of vulpia in south‐eastern Australia's temperate pasture areas

The present paper reports an economic evaluation of the long‐term benefits to Australia of research by the Cooperative Research Centre for Weed Management Systems (CRC) into the improved management of vulpia, the major annual grass weed of temperate pastures in New South Wales and Victoria. Vulpia reduces livestock production by competition with more desirable pasture species, by the production of low quality feed at critical times of the grazing cycle, and by injury to animals. A 20‐year stochastic benefit‐cost analysis indicated that reducing the impacts of vulpia in these pastures produced a mean net present value of $A58.3 million and a mean benefit‐cost ratio of 33:1. Temperate pasture zone wool producers would capture the largest shares of these benefits, Australian consumers would gain, but wool producers in the rest of Australia would suffer welfare losses from vulpia reductions in the temperate pasture zones.

The Market Valuation of Environmental Capital Expenditures by Pulp and Paper Companies

The objective of this study is to examine the market valuation of environmental capital expenditure investment related to pollution abatement in the pulp and paper industry. The total environmental capital expenditure of $8.7 billion by our sample firms during 1989–2000 supports the focus on this industry. In order to be capitalized, an asset should be associated with future economic benefits. The existing environmental literature suggests that investors condition their evaluation of the future economic benefits arising from environmental capital expenditure on an assessment of the firms' environmental performance. This literature predicts the emergence of two environmental stereotypes: low-polluting firms that overcomply with existing environmental regulations, and high-polluting firms that just meet minimal environmental requirements. Our valuation evidence indicates that there are incremental economic benefits associated with environmental capital expenditure investment by low-polluting firms but not high-polluting firms. We also find that investors use environmental performance information to assess unbooked environmental liabilities, which we interpret to represent the future abatement spending obligations of high-polluting firms in the pulp and paper industry. We estimate average unbooked liabilities of $560 million for high-polluting firms, or 16.6 percent of market capitalization.

A Spatial-Economic Multimodal Transportation Simulation Model For US Coastal Container Ports

Assessing the potential demand for container ports and related multimodal transportation is critical for several purposes, including financial feasibility analysis and the evaluation of net economic benefits and their distribution. When developed in conjunction with a geographical information system, port-related demand analysis also provides needed input for assessment of selected environmental issues, such as truck traffic on local roads and related potential external costs, such as air pollution and noise. However, container port demand analysis is very difficult due to the complexities of international trade in containerised goods, inter-port competition, and potential strategic behaviour by several parties. Difficulties also arise from the many factors to be considered, major data requirements, and the computationally intensive nature of the problem. This paper summarises the development and application of a spatial-economic, multimodal container transportation demand simulation model for major US container ports. The underlying economic framework assumes shippers minimise the total general cost of moving containers from sources to markets. The model is validated and then used to estimate (1) annual container transportation service demand for major container ports, (2) the market areas served by selected ports, and (3) the impact on port demand and interport competition due to hypothetical changes in port use fees at selected ports. This paper first describes the model and the underlying economic reasoning, followed by the assumptions, computational algorithms, and the software architecture. Then, the trade data, transportation networks, and economic variables are described. After that, model simulation results are presented with qualifications, needed refinements, and future directions.

An Economic Design Change Method

New product design as well as design revision to remedy defects is complicated by an inability to precisely predict product performance. Designers often find that they are confident about the performance of some design alternatives and uncertain about others. Similarly, alternative design changes may differ substantially in uncertainty, potential impact, and cost. This paper describes a method for including the effects of uncertainty in the evaluation of economic benefits of various design change options. The results indicate that the most profitable change option sequence depends not only on relative costs but also on the relative degree of uncertainty and on the magnitude of the potential design defects. The method demonstrates how design change alternatives can be compared using the engineering design of a beam. Finally, the validity of some common engineering change heuristics are discussed relative to their associated, quantitatively determined limits.

Using Estimates of the Value of a Statistical Life in Evaluating Consumer Policy Regulations

This paper is a critical review of current practice for the economic evaluation of the life-saving benefits of U.S. consumer policy regulations. Selected evaluations conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are briefly reviewed. The standard approach to placing a dollar value on the life-saving benefits of regulations is based on societal willingness to pay for mortality risk reductions, conveniently summarized as the value of a statistical life (VSL). The paper proposes a common-sense rule for improving current practice: Different agencies reducing similar health risks for similar populations should use consistent estimates of the VSL, but each agency should use VSL estimates that are specific to the health risk and population affected by its regulations. Developing VSL estimates that vary by cause of death and that reflect differences in willingness to pay due to age, income, and risk preferences poses a challenge for both the research community that generates VSL estimates and policymakers.

An economic evaluation of the environmental benefits from pesticide reduction

Previous studies on the environmental impacts of pesticide use have tended to focus either on measuring damages through changes in relative risks to various environmental categories or examining the trade-off between pesticide use levels and abatement costs. This study uses the physical risk assessment approach combined with contingent valuation survey results on consumers’ willingness to reduce pesticide risk. The reduction in external costs associated with the changes in pesticide use in Ontario agriculture between 1983 and 1998 is U© 188 per household. The environmental benefits are largely due to the reduction in the level of high and moderate-risk pesticides.

An economic evaluation of the environmental benefits from pesticide reduction

AbstractPrevious studies on the environmental impacts of pesticide use have tended to focus either on measuring damages through changes in relative risks to various environmental categories or examining the trade‐off between pesticide use levels and abatement costs. This study uses the physical risk assessment approach combined with contingent valuation survey results on consumers’ willingness to reduce pesticide risk. The reduction in external costs associated with the changes in pesticide use in Ontario agriculture between 1983 and 1998 is U© 188 per household. The environmental benefits are largely due to the reduction in the level of high and moderate‐risk pesticides.