Total Social Benefits Research Articles

Water-energy-food nexus in the sustainable management of crop-livestock coupled systems

The recoupling of livestock and crop production by recycling of animal manure in croplands is urgently needed to achieve a sustainable agricultural development. However, an insufficient understanding of the resources and environmental performance of recoupling and the synergies and trade-offs among multiple sustainable development goals hinders the implementation of best management practices. Here, by combining footprint and life-cycle analyses, we distinguished two coupling degrees (semi-coupling, in which only solid manure is returned to croplands, and full coupling, which involves the return of both solid and liquid manure) and three coupling modes to quantitatively assess the influence of recoupling management measures on nitrogen (N) utilization, water and energy consumption, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Our results showed that conventional full coupling (FCPC) enhanced the system's N use efficiency and reduced reactive N (Nr) loss and the water footprint by 14 and 29 %, respectively, compared with semi-coupling (SCP), the status quo in most of China's livestock farms. However, FCPC slightly increased GHG emissions, mainly because of energy-water tradeoffs. An enhanced full coupling mode designed based on the water-energy-food nexus (FCPN) reduced the energy footprint and GHG emissions by 74 and 12 %, respectively, compared with SCP. Because FCPN additionally alleviated the pollution shift effect, the water footprint was further reduced by 34 % compared with SCP. Transforming from SCP to FCPC and FCPN offered a total social benefit, which integrates resource and environmental performances, of approximately 537 and 694 yuan t−1 milk at an implementation cost of 396 and 401 yuan t−1 milk, respectively. Our research fills a knowledge gap related to the quantification of recoupling impacts on the water-energy-food nexus and provides a solution for the collaborative optimization of multiple objectives in China and other countries facing the same challenges in livestock revolution.

Estimated lifetime impact of a school-based intervention for mental health: A microsimulation study

Abstract Background The prevalence of childhood mental health problems is increasing. School-based interventions have the potential to reduce poor mental health and mental health inequalities. Our aim was to estimate the long-term costs and benefits of the Incredible Years Teacher® Classroom Management (IY-TCM) intervention in primary schools compared to no intervention. Methods LifeSim, an existing microsimulation model, was used to estimate the lifetime costs and benefits of IY-TCM by linking short-term changes in SDQ based on a previous trial in primary schools (Cluster RCT: 2075 children aged 4-9 years with a 30-month follow-up) to long-term health, social, economic and wellbeing outcomes. Benefits were measured in quality adjusted life years and wellbeing adjusted life years. We examined subgroup based on deprivation, conduct scores and parental depression. Results Microsimulation modelling estimated small gains in lifetime outcomes including reduced conduct disorder in adolescence and depression in adulthood. Estimates indicate IY-TCM could be cost-effective with a large amount of uncertainty (Net monetary benefit (NMB)=£21, Estimated CI = -£195, £240). IY-TCM was estimated to be more cost-effective for those with high deprivation (NMB = £231, Estimation CI - -£99, £231) and high conduct problem scores (NMB=£315, Estimated CI = £45, £483). Total net social benefit for a typical year size group was estimated to be £111m. Conclusions IY-TCM could be cost-effective compared to no intervention with a large estimated social benefit supporting wider implementation of IY-TCM, but results indicate a large amount of uncertainty. Greater benefits and higher certainty of cost-effectiveness for children with conduct problems and those living in a deprived area suggest IY-TCM has the potential to reduce mental health inequalities and may be more cost-effective for schools with higher deprivation and/or a high prevalence of conduct problems. Key messages • The Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management intervention for mental health in primary schools could be considered cost-effective but there is a large amount of uncertainty. • Greater benefits for children with conduct problems and those living in a deprived area indicates the intervention has the potential to reduce mental health inequalities.

Economics and logistics of the Mombasa – Nairobi railway project

The study is devoted to the economic evaluation of the Nairobi – Mombasa Standard Gauge Railway Project in Kenya. The cost-benefit analysis method was used to evaluate this project, the purpose of which is to find the net social benefit by subtracting all the project costs from the total social benefits. Among the various cost analysis methods, the corridor analysis method was used, as well as the empirical method, which included mathematical calculation, analysis and comparison of information from different modes of transport operating between the two cities of Nairobi and Mombasa, obtained from different secondary sources in order to obtain the social present value. There is a social benefit of $ 75 million and thus the project was worth the investment. The analysis of the Nairobi – Mombasa Standard Gauge Railway Project will help reduce the negative reaction that the Kenyan government has faced from local residents for its huge investment in this project, proving that the project is economically beneficial and will have a positive impact on the social welfare of the residents.

Social acceptance of small modular reactor (SMR): Evidence from a contingent valuation study in South Korea

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the social acceptance of the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) in South Korea. The growing interest in SMRs as a potential solution to the challenges of climate change and energy security highlights the need for continued research and development in this area. The research was conducted using a contingent valuation method, which involved surveying a representative sample of the South Korean population. Out of a total of 1032 respondents, 78 % were willing to pay for SMR development. The mean WTP was estimated to be USD 4.28 per year per household and scaled up to the national level in South Korea, it was analysed to have a total economic and social benefit of USD 0.49 billion. The more serious the respondents perceived the current and future problem of climate change to be, the more likely they were to be willing to pay an offered bid amount. This study suggests that the need to address climate change and the need to raise awareness of SMR as one of the low-carbon technologies at the government level is required to generate the appropriate level of social acceptance to promote SMR development.

Microeconomic analysis of ridesourcing market regulation policies

We develop a microeconomic model of competition between ridesourcing, public transport, and cruising taxis to analyse how alternative ridesourcing regulation policies affect not only the ridesourcing service but also other modes of transport. To maximise social welfare in a framework with congestion externalities, we analyse three alternative regulation policies (i) a charge as a percentage of the ridesourcing trip fare (ii) a fixed charge per ridesourcing trip, and (iii) a fixed charge per ridesourcing vehicle. A randomised search algorithm is programmed and simulations are performed considering the base case of the Metropolitan Region of Santiago de Chile. We find that for the case of speeds below 9 km/h, the market power of the platform is dominated by the congestion externality effect, which leads to an optimum where the regulator charges a tax to the platform. In turn, waiting time for ridesourcing increases, but congestion decreases. Lower congestion scenarios lead to a ridesourcing subsidy, in which the regulation policy increases the number of ridesourcing drivers and reduces waiting time, at the cost of increasing congestion. For a given scenario (either low-congestion or high-congestion), we find that the profits of the agents involved (ridesourcing platform and drivers, taxi drivers, and bus operator) are sensitive to the type of regulation applied, however the total social benefit and consumer surplus are largely insensitive to the regulation adopted, therefore policymakers could take into account, for instance, the effects on the financial situation of the public transport sector when deciding which type of regulation instrument to apply to the ridesourcing sector.

The Economic Value of New Sustainable Products: The Case of Photovoltaic Thermal (PVT) Hybrid Solar Collectors

Among green energy technologies, solar power is a promising technology in the net-zero era of the power industry. Conventional solar modules have decreasing efficiency weaknesses as the temperature rises, whereas photovoltaic thermal (PVT) systems do not remove heat from the module or lower the temperature. However, the profitability of PVT systems has been underestimated. The profitability of new convergence products, such as PVT technology, entering the market for the first time allows for the evaluation of the appropriate starting price and policy requirements to support the product’s market entrance. We used the contingent valuation method (CVM) to solve this problem. The survey derived the respondents’ mean willingness to pay (WTP) and the total amount of social benefits. Among these CVM models, the one-and-one-half-bound (OOHB) spike model was used to distinguish zero WTP. Based on a survey of 300 households, respondents were willing to pay an additional yearly average income tax of KRW 10,608 (USD 7.90), and the total social benefit of PVT technology was calculated to be KRW 145 billion (USD 108 million). This result shows that individuals evaluate the value of PVT as 3.69% of their monthly electricity bill and 2.8% of their monthly gas bill. Several additional factors that influence WTP were analyzed, indicating a high possibility of PVT adoption by individuals who have replaced or are planning to replace photovoltaic (PV) modules. This study is significant because it examines the economic value of PVT and proposes a focus group for the effective market entry of new carbon neutrality products.

How Important for Society Is Recreation Provided by Multi-Purpose Water Reservoirs? Welfare Analysis of the Vltava River Reservoir System

Contrary to the other functions of multi-purpose reservoirs, recreational use is not associated with a tangible social value, which hinders the search for new balances among optimal uses of water that will likely be needed under climate change. The objective of this study is to analyze visitation behavior and its patterns at a large-scale reservoir system on the Vltava River to quantify the total social benefits associated with recreation in monetary terms and to suggest how the magnitude of estimated recreation welfare relates to hydro-energy benefits, which are in usual practice taken much more into account than recreation in the strategic management of water dams. The elicited average consumer surplus per person and trip is EUR 55.7, which yields a total yearly recreation value of EUR 34 billion (ranging between 22 and 57). When compared to, e.g., the social value of hydro-energy generation, the actual yearly recreation welfare represents 1/3 of this nowadays more prioritized use. The results of the study bring new information for water management bodies that has been missing up to now, and they bring new arguments for reaching socially optimal water use in the strategic and operational management of the cascade of dams. From this perspective, the actual strategic relative prioritization of these two reservoir functions at the pilot site may be viewed as rational.

Techno-economic analysis of fixed versus sun-tracking solar panels

The potential output of photovoltaic (PV) panels is influenced by several factors, including the direction of solar radiation from the sun toward the panel’s surface. The maximum output of the panels is obtained when the panels are vertical to the sun's rays. In this study, a techno-economic analysis is conducted to examine whether an automatic one-axis sun tracker system is an economically feasible option for installing a large-scale PV park in the Nicosia district in the central part of Cyprus. The performance of a one-axis sun tracker with an installed capacity of 781 kWp is compared to a PV system with a fixed flat structure having the same capacity and larger capacity at 1034 kWp. Output generated by the three PV system options is simulated by three alternative simulation software (SolarGIS, PVSyst, and PVGIS). Financial analysis is performed utilizing simulated PV power output, accounting for electricity feed-in tariff and overall cost of the project. The cash-flow model is run for several scenarios defined by different leverage ratios, including no leverage. Considering the technical parameters of a PV system and solar panel characteristics, such as the degradation effect on solar panel efficiency and solar radiation, we estimate the solar tracking system produces about 20%–30% more energy compared to a fixed structure. We find both technologies are economically viable options, however, a one-axis tracker system performs better financially. LCOE in all scenarios is below the highest acceptable level for solar PV projects in Cyprus which is 103 EUR per MWh. LCOE for a solar tracker PV is 39 EUR per MWh with a 30% leverage ratio and up to 79 EUR per MWh with 85% leverage. LCOE for a sun-tracker is ~20% lower than LCOE for a PV with a fixed axis of comparable size. Despite higher investment costs, the solar tracking PV system performs with a 12% higher equity internal rate of return, and a 9% shorter loan payback period compared to the same installed power of a fixed structure. The Financial analysis is complemented by quantified benefits due to avoided carbon emissions. Accounting for carbon benefits makes a sun-tracker PV system economically a better option over the fixed tracker PV system, resulting in 228,000 EUR more benefits. Overall, the present value of net benefits of a solar-tracker PV amounts to 1.39 mil. EUR and due to high irradiation in Cyprus, the carbon footprint of PV power output represents only 6% of the footprint of generating electricity in thermal power plants. When these benefits are accounted for the sum of NPV and social benefits will turn out to be higher for a one-axis tracker compared to the total social benefits of a fixed tracker of the same size.

Designing a multi-objective closed-loop supply chain for multi-period multi-generational products with social impacts considerations

This paper assesses a multi-period closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) for making strategic and operational decisions in multi-generation applications. For this purpose, joint decisions on network design, inventory control, production planning, pricing, supplier selection, and service level requirements are determined along with the forward flows of the supply chain. Besides, a segmentation policy is proposed for disassembling and recovering the different quality grades of returned products. All the raised issues have become more challengeable when an inner competition on coexistence goes up between the incumbent and new generations. Accordingly, this paper attempts to bridge the gaps in the literature by proposing a bi-objective mathematical model that involves a demand function with the integration of price drop effects, marketing efforts, and technology desirability to tackle trade-offs decisions between multiple generations. This research aims to simultaneously optimize the total profit and social benefits. To solve the problem, first, the ε-constraint method has been applied to transform the bi-objective problem into a single objective. Then, as a great deal to solve the complex mixed-integer non-linear program model, an outer approximation algorithm is applied based on approximation, relaxation, and decomposition. Finally, a case example in a mobile phone CLSC problem has been investigated to validate the proposed model and provide managerial insights.

Using Machine Learning Techniques to Incorporate Social Priorities in Traffic Monitoring in a Junction with a Fast Lane

Abstract Traffic lights monitoring that considers only traffic volumes is not necessarily the optimal way to time the green/red allocation in a junction. A “smart” allocation should also consider the necessities of the vehicle’s passengers and the needs of the people those passengers ought to serve. This paper deals with a “smart” junction, where several cars approach the intersection from different directions and a traffic light is set to comply to a sequence of time intervals of red and green lights in each direction. The novel approach presented here is based not only on traffic congestion parameters, but also on the social and economic characteristics of the passengers (e.g. a handicapped person, a medical doctor, an employee who is extremely required in a certain organization due to an emergency situation). This paper proposes to enhance the smart junction with a fast lane, which has a flexible entry permit based on social and economic criteria. Machine learning (specifically, Reinforcement Learning (RL)) is added to the junction’s algorithm with the aim of optimizing the social utility of the junction. For the purposes of this study, the utility of the junction is defined by the total social and economic potential benefits given a certain red/green time allocation is set. This is defined as the measure of the reward function which contains positive factors for vehicles which crossed the junction or advanced their position and a negative factor for vehicles which remains in their positions. In addition, a weight value for the vehicles with high priority is also part of the equation. A simplified version of the smart junction has been used, serving as a model for incorporating RL into the “smart’ junction with Fast Lane (FL). Specifically, the Q-Learning algorithm is used to maximize the reward function. Simulation results show that prioritizing high priority vehicles via FL is influenced by the weights and factors given to the reward components. Farther research should enhance the “Smart” junction with FL to a more complex and realistic one using a varying amount of vehicles crossing the junction.

Total Social Costs and Benefits of Long-Distance Hydropower Transmission.

Increasing amounts of hydropower are being exported from Canada to the northern United States. Recently proposed projects would increase transmission capacity to U.S. population centers without increasing generation. This avoids generation-side impacts from hydroelectric development and introduces power to the U.S. energy mix that is dispatchable, unlike wind and solar, with greenhouse gas emissions generally lower than those of fossil fuels. There is, however, a lack of analysis comparing high upfront capital costs to social benefits and controversy over valuation of social costs of hydropower from existing generation given the negligible marginal cost of production. This analysis evaluates direct and indirect costs in comparison to alternatives for a 1250 MW transmission line from Canada to New York City currently under development to replace the recent loss of ∼15 TWh year-1 of nuclear generation. For the case study considered, we find that long-distance transmission avoids $13.2 billion ($12.1-14.4 billion) in total social costs by 2050. This includes $4.2 billion ($3.4-5.1 billion) from premature mortality in disproportionately Hispanic and African American or Black counties (roughly 306 avoided deaths). In an extensive sensitivity analysis, results are robust to all modeling choices other than the cost assigned to hydropower: the nominal dollar value of hydropower imports (payments from buyer to seller) commonly used in cost-benefit analysis leads to substantial underestimates of net benefits from transmission projects. The opportunity cost of these imports (e.g., environmental benefits foregone in alternative export markets) is a better metric for cost but is difficult to estimate.

Social Benefits Evaluation of Rural Micro-Landscapes in Southeastern Coastal Towns of China—The Case of Jinjiang, Fujian

Faced with the current situation of the decay and alienation of traditional public space and the broken and disorderly spatial structure caused by the rapid urbanization of the Chinese countryside, rural micro-landscape creation has become an effective way to improve human living environments. However, it is currently difficult for rural micro-landscape construction to achieve the sustainable development of social benefits due to the lack of scientific design guidelines. Evaluating the social benefits of completed projects and identifying the important influencing factors are key to realizing the evidence-based design of rural micro-landscapes. To this end, this study deduces the mechanism of social benefit generation based on the psychological process of spatial perception and establishes a structural equation model containing compound influence pathways to measure the social benefits of micro-landscapes. The evaluation model consists of four latent variables, “physical element characteristics”, “perceptual quality”, “cognitive experience”, and “activity behavior”, and 35 observed variables. The researchers selected 18 micro-landscape areas in Jinjiang City, Fujian Province, China, as the survey sample and analyzed the influence of the potential variables and the explanatory power of the observed variables through a quantitative analysis of objective environmental elements and perception data from 102 respondents. The results showed that “perceptual quality” and “cognitive experience” had the greatest direct effect on social benefits, and, based on the progressive influence relationships among the dimensions, “physical element characteristics” dominated the total social benefits through direct and indirect means. Compared with single-function green space, comfortable and diverse artificial facilities encourage residents to enter and use micro-landscapes and contribute to their social benefits. The purpose of this paper is to explore the ideal form of rural micro-landscape creation and provide a theoretical basis for the future practice of high-quality and sustainable rural micro-landscape construction.

Deploying dedicated lanes for connected and autonomous buses in urban transportation networks

To promote the ridership of connected and autonomous buses (CABs), this paper proposes to build CAB lanes in urban transportation networks. Three travel modes are considered: CAB, connected and autonomous passenger vehicle (CAV) and human-driven passenger vehicle (HV). To better utilise the capacities of CAB lanes, CAVs are granted limited access while maintaining good levels of services on these lanes. Analyses show that deploying CAB lanes may substantially increase the ridership of CABs and increase total social benefit, and allowing limited CAV access can further improve the overall system performance. The CAB lane allocation problem is formulated into a mixed-integer nonlinear programme. Numerical tests are performed to demonstrate the approach.

An urban PES model for diffused green areas requalification and maintenance in Milan

In 2005 Milan Municipality launched the “Adopt a green spot” model initiative, to restore and maintain scattered and marginal green areas, following a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) scheme. The PES scheme was designed in the form of two standardized typologies of voluntary agreements – sponsorship and collaboration - allowing flexibility in the commitment of involved private stakeholders, including condominiums, NGOs, and the business. 502 agreements, for a total surface of 265.398 m2, have been signed up to now. The paper analysis the design components of the PES scheme which determines its capacity to be replicated in different contexts involving a variety of stakeholders. The main elements enabling the success of the PES scheme are i) the flexibility of the voluntary agreements designed to meet the needs of various stakeholders; ii) the variety of green areas included in the initiative; iii) public recognition which makes it possible to attract firms iv) low transaction costs borne by the stakeholders. The financial resources committed, even if representing a small portion of the total social benefit generated, are sufficient to ensure an adequate requalification and maintenance of small green areas, often neglected because of scarcity of public financing. The replication capacity of this PES scheme makes it a model initiative. Given its characteristics and flexibility, it has been used for the definition of more than 500 agreements with different stakeholders, and for these reasons the policy design approach can be suitable for the replication in other urban contests.

Evaluating Effectiveness of Low-Carbon Transition Policy Mix Based on Urban Private Car Trajectory Data

Under the vision of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, it is urgent to introduce appropriate carbon reduction policy for city road traffic. This paper establishes a three-layer neural network model to predict the carbon emission from private cars based on urban private car trajectory data, simulates and analyzes the carbon emission from private cars, travel cost, personal income, and government revenue under the four policy perspectives, and evaluates and compares the emission reduction effects under four policy perspectives. Next, this paper evaluates the government revenue from the perspective of carbon tax and policy mix and compares the individual consumer utility of two-commodity and three-commodity mix, as well as the total social benefits under the four policy perspectives. The results show that the policy mix has better implementation effect on carbon emission reduction, personal income, and travel cost. The implementation effect of the single carbon tax policy is better in terms of government revenue. The implementation effect of the single carbon trading policy is better in terms of social benefit. In addition, as the carbon tax rate increases, the consumer utility tends to decline. Finally, this paper puts forward specific policy implementation proposals based on the above simulation analysis.

The performance of multi-type environmental credit trading markets: Lab experiment evidence

We experimentally compare the performance of two multi-type environmental credit trading markets. The first trading market is called the multiple market (MM) institution, which allows the providers to sell jointly produced credits of all types. The second trading market is called the single market (SM) institution, where the providers of jointly produced credits can only choose one type of credit to sell. We investigate several key indicators, including the trading price, quantity, and net social benefit, to compare the performance of the SM and MM institutions. We find that the trading prices are significantly lower in MM compared to SM, indicating that MM potentially benefits the credit buyers. We also find that SM leads to more credit productions. Since not all credits can be traded in SM, the increase in the production cost outweighs the increase in the total social benefit. As a result, the net social benefit is lower in SM compared to MM. We expand the literature by firstly designing a market platform for multi-type credit trading and then assessing their performance with lab experiment evidence.

Secure sharing of big digital twin data for smart manufacturing based on blockchain

With the rapid development of digital twin technology, a large amount of digital twin data named as big digital twin data (BDTD), is generated in the lifecycle of equipment, which is supposed to be used in digital twin enabled applications. However, in the implementation of these applications, data sharing problem which is caused by the lack of data security as well as trust among stakeholders of equipment, limits data using value. It is a novel way to introduce blockchain technology into digital twin to solve the problem. However, current methods cannot fulfill the requirements of exponential growth and timely sharing of BDTD. Therefore, a blockchain-based framework for secure sharing of BDTD is proposed to solve the problems. Cloud storage is integrated into the framework, with which, BDTD is encrypted and stored in Cloud, while the hash of BDTD and transaction records are stored in blockchain. Some rules of generating new block are designed to improve the processing speed of blockchain. An algorithm for optimal sampling rate selection is presented to maximize total social benefits of the participants of BDTD sharing. Simulation results show that the algorithm is better than traditional method for maximizing the total social benefits. Furthermore, a protype system is developed and evaluated based on Fabric test network. Evaluation results show that BDTD can be shared securely multiple times per second through the framework, which demonstrates the feasibility of the framework in supporting timely sharing of BDTD.

Benefits and costs assessment of public projects

The article examines the tools for assessing the effectiveness of public sector projects, which successful implementation is the key to improve the society welfare and its development. The subject of research is the analysis of public project effectiveness, the goal is the identifying the features of using the Cost Benefit Analysis method during assessing and giving recommendations for its practical application (for example, Kyiv Boryspil Express). The objectives of the research are the assessment of the specific public project using this method, identifying and giving recommendations for overcoming its limitations. The methods of empirical and theoretical research are used to get there. It has been determined that the main specificity of cost benefit analysis of public projects is to determine and use special methods for identifying basic indicators for assessment: consumers and producers surpluses, irreversible and alternative costs, external effects, etc. It is proved that the correct definition of changes in the social surplus in an imperfectly competitive market and the total social benefits of the economic course requires an assessment of sunk costs. The greatest difficulty in their assessment is to determine the price elasticity of demand for project services. However, this is quite possible using one of the methods of surveying potential consumers, such as the referendum method. It is shown that an important component of the analysis of benefits and costs of public projects are externalities. The accepted way to determine the impact of the project on the environment is to use the method of related markets.

Heuristic-based allocation of supply constrained blood platelets in emerging economies

Platelets are valuable, but highly perishable, blood components used in the treatment of, among others, viral dengue fever, blood-related illness, and post-chemotherapy following cancer. Given the short shelf-life of 3–5 days and a highly volatile supply and demand pattern, platelet inventory allocation is a challenging task. This is especially prevalent in emerging economies where demand variability is more pronounced due to neglected tropical diseases, and a perpetual shortage of supply. The consequences of which have given rise to an illegal ‘red market’. Motivated by experience at a regional hospital in India, we investigate the problem of platelet allocation among three priority-differentiated demand streams. Specifically we consider a central hospital which, in addition to internal emergency and non-emergency requests, faces external demand from local clinics. We analyze the platelet allocation decision from a social planner’s perspective and propose an allocation heuristic based on revenue management (RM) principles. The objective is to maximize total social benefit in a highly supply-constrained environment. Using data from the aforementioned Indian hospital as a case study, we conduct a numerical simulation and sensitivity analysis to evaluate the allocation heuristic. The performance of the RM-based policy is evaluated against the current sequential first come, first serve policy and two fixed proportion-based rationing policies. It is shown that the RM-based policy overall dominates, serves patients with the highest medical urgency better, and can curtail patients’ need to procure platelets from commercial sources.

Exploration of Social Benefits for Tourism Performing Arts Industrialization in Culture-Tourism Integration Based on Deep Learning and Artificial Intelligence Technology.

As a product of the tourism performing arts industry in culture–tourism integration development, to develop a featured culture–tourism town is a new trend for tourism development in the new era. To analyze the social benefit of the culture–tourism industry, in this study, an artificial intelligence model for social benefit evaluation is constructed based on backpropagation (BP) neural network and fuzzy comprehensive analysis, with Yiyang Town taken as an example. The criterion layer in the model includes three indexes (life benefit G1, environmental benefit G2, and economic benefit G3), and the index layer contains 11 indexes (H1–H11). The weight values of cultural inheritance and protection, ecological environment improvement, and commercial economy development to the social benefit of the town are 0.522, 0.570, and 0.424, respectively. For G1, 41.20% is excellent; for G2, 39.5% is excellent; and for G3, 40.5% is good. In general, 30.76% of the total social benefit is excellent, with 37.69% being good, 21.48% being qualified, and 10.07% being unqualified. It is inferred that the total social benefit level of Yiyang Town is good according to the constructed model. Therefore, the culture inheritance and protection, the ecological environment improvement, and the commercial economy development are the key evaluation factors of social benefit.