Cost-Benefit Analysis: A practical guide - Hardcover

Cost-benefit analysis: a practical guide is a complete guide to the principles and practice of using cost-benefit analysis (CBA) effectively for making better decisions and allocating resources. This comprehensive and accessible text can be used without prior knowledge of economics, and provides the necessary skills to understand the rationale of CBA, interpret and use existing analyses, and undertake basic CBA unaided. The second edition of this popular guide: Takes a practical approach to CBA, providing examples for readers Deals explicitly with probabilities and risk Shows how social, environmental and political aspects can be taken into account Gives guidance on using computer software and avoiding its pitfalls Describes the application of CBA to many sectors, including health, education, transport, and water Includes guidance on the presentation and reporting of analyses to multiple audiences Guides readers to sources of more specialised advice Describes multi-criterion decision analyses Written by a practitioner, rather than an economist, and based on many years' experience of using CBA, Cost-benefit analysis: a practical guide is a detailed learning aide for students and practitioners. It will also serve as a useful reference book for all, with an extensive glossary and index. Contents Basic principles of cost-benefit analysis Quantifying and valuing the costs and benefits Resources and time: discounting and indicators Application to particular fields Reporting and presentation Checklist Uncertainty, probability and risk The domestic pricing and foreign exchange numeraires Ways of estimating economic prices Distribution of costs and benefits between people Choice of discount rate Multi-criterion decision analysis The effects method Model answers to readers' worked examples Worked example Discounting tables Bibliography Notes Glossary/index

About the Author Previously a Divisional Director of Mott MacDonald, Michael Snell has more than 35 years experience in water resources planning and development, including regional and basin studies, irrigation and drainage, aquatic environment, dams, hy