Henrik Lindhjem

Reliability of Meta-analytic Benefit Transfers of International Value of Statistical Life Estimates: Tests and Illustrations

If there are no applicable domestic studies, there are many ways to utilize the international literature to conduct benefit transfer (BT). In the health economics literature simple unit transfer methods, rather than function-based methods, are the most commonly used. In this chapter we utilize a large database of Value of a Statistical Life (VSL) estimates, derived from stated preference studies worldwide, to investigate the reliability of meta-analytic BT (MA-BT) and compare this method with simple unit transfers in a case study illustration. Meta-regression analysis is a way to estimate how different policy-relevant factors affect VSL and is thought to improve accuracy in BT. We discuss in particular how different quality criteria to screen available studies and VSL estimates may influence BT accuracy. Results show that quality screened MA-BT models give lower transfer errors, and in the case study example MA-BT methods achieve accuracy gains over the use of unit transfer methods. However, the unscreened MA-BT method achieved around the same accuracy as the best unit transfers based on quality screened data . Hence, transfer accuracy may in some contexts depend as much on the quality of the underlying data as on the BT method itself.

The social benefits and costs of preserving forest biodiversity and ecosystem services

Ecologists recommend preserving more of the old-growth forests in Norway, as half of the species have forests as their main habitat and many are in decline. We investigate benefits and costs over a 50-year period of increasing forest conservation from 1.4% of the productive forest area (the situation in 2007) to 2.8% (doubling), 4.5% (‘ecologists’ minimum’) and 10% (one goal suggested in public debate). The benefits are estimated based on a national contingent valuation (CV) survey of Norwegian households. Two independent measures of total costs are used: (1) the actual compensation amounts paid to forest owners and (2) results from a survey of forest owners’ minimum willingness to accept compensation to preserve. Results show that social benefits outweigh costs of the three conservation plans by a large margin. The middle option of 4.5% has the highest net present value. This result is robust to a range of assumptions, including considerations of potential hypothetical bias in willingness to pay estimates. The results of this cost–benefit analysis reflect the preferences of the general population, the authorities and the forest owners with respect to biodiversity and ecosystem services conservation, and supplement the expert opinion of ecologists.

Valuing marine ecosystem services loss from oil spills for use in cost–benefit analysis of preventive measures

The trans-disciplinary thematic areas of oceans management and policy require stocktaking of the state of knowledge on ecosystem services being derived from coastal and marine areas. Recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially Goals 14 and 15 explicitly focus on this. This Handbook brings together a carefully chosen set of world-class contributions from ecology, economics, and other development science and attempts to provide policy relevant scientific information on ecosystem services from marine and coastal ecosystems, nuances of economic valuation, relevant legal and sociological response policies for effective management of marine areas for enhanced human well being. The contributors focus on the possible nexus of science-society and science-policy with the objective of informing on decision makers of the governmental agencies, business and industry and civil society in general with respect to sustainable management of Oceans.

Landscape experiences as a cultural ecosystem service in a Nordic context: Concepts, values and decision-making

Cultural ecosystem services in the form of experiences derived from landscapes are potentially important, but often overlooked. Given the large and unprecedented landscape changes many of the Nordi ...

Nordic Urban Nature Recreation

The Nordic countries continue to experience growth of urban areas, which provides benefits like economic growth, but also imposes economic costs in terms of reduced ecosystem services. This report ...

Assessing landscape experiences as a cultural ecosystem service in public infrastructure projects

Undesirable landscape changes, especially from large infrastructure projects, may give rise to large welfare losses due to degraded landscape experiences. These losses are largely unaccounted for i ...