Cost-Benefit Analysis: An Informal Introduction

When this textbook was first published in 1971, the technique of cost-benefit analysis was scarcely recognized; nowadays it is an essential framework for any study of welfare economics, and continues to generate much controversy, concerned as it is with the fundamental principles on which our society operates. Over three editions the author has tested new ideas and principles against his original methodology, and revised and incorporated material to ensure that it remains one of the most thorough introductions to the subject yet available. Central to the appeal of the book is the lucid explanation of key concepts, and the simple, yet effective expository device of short chapters which encourages steady progress through the book.