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Workshop: Valuing Health for Environmental Policy with Special Emphasis on Children's Health Protection, Proceedings of the Second Workshop in the Environmental Policy and Economics Workshop Series (1999)

Paper Number: EE-0416

Document Date: 06/01/1999

Author(s):  ICF Incorporated

Subject Area(s):

Economic Analysis, Children's Health Valuation, Benefit-Cost Analysis

Keywords: Economic Analysis, Children's Health Valuation, Benefit-Cost Analysis

Summary: 

The purpose of the Environmental Policy and Economics Workshop Series is to hold in-depth workshops on timely topics that will further the use of economics as a tool for environmental decision making. Both NSF/EPA grant recipients and researchers (from EPA, fellow Federal agencies, academia, and others) will be invited to attend and discuss their on-going research. Topics will be chosen based on relevance to current EPA issues and, more broadly, to issues of concern to the environmental economics community. These topics include exploration of innovations in economic research methods as well as how research will further environmental policy making and future environmental economic studies.

This report represents the proceedings of the second workshop of this series. This two-day workshop was dedicated to exploring methods for valuing morbidity and mortality risks, with the second day specially focused on the unique considerations specific to children's health valuation. The four sessions - "Valuing Mortality Risk," "Valuing Morbidity Risk," "How Do We Value Children?," and "Household Production Models and Children's Health Valuation" - present current environmental economics research and policy discussions concerning each topic. The Workshop included the following papers (please scroll down for link to download proceedings):

Proceedings for Session I, Wednesday, March 24, 1999

Introduction to Day One - Opening Remarks by David Gardiner, Assistant Administrator, US EPA Office of Policy.

Session I: Valuing Mortality Risks 

  • Introductory Remarks for Session I by Melonie Williams, US EPA Office of Economy and Environment.
  • Evaluating the Effect of Visual Aids on Willingness-to-Pay for a Reduction in Mortality Risk: Preliminary Results, by Phaedra S. Corso, James K. Hammitt and John D. Graham. Presented by Phaedra S. Corso.
  • Mortality Risk for Environmental Policy, by Alan Krupnick, Anna Alberini, Maureen Cropper, Nathalie Simon with Kenshi Itaoka and Makoto Akai. Presented by Alan Krupnick.
  • Discussion of Corso, Hammitt and Graham paper by Lauraine Chestnut, Stratus Consulting.
  • Discussion of Krupnick, Alberini, Cropper and Simon paper by Steve Crutchfield, USDA Economic Research Service – Summarization.
  • Policy Discussion for Session I by Melonie Williams, US EPA Office of Economy and Environment.
  • Question and Answer Period for Session I. 

Proceedings for Session II, Wednesday, March 24, 1999 

Session II:  Valuing Morbidity Risks

  • Introductory Remarks for Session II by Chris Dockins, US EPA Office of Economy and Environment.
  • Valuing Reduced Risk for Households with Children or the Retired, by William Schulze, Lauraine Chestnut, Timothy Mount, Weifeng Weng, and Hong Kim. Presented by William Schulze.
  • Willingness to Pay for Air-Quality Related Health Improvements: A Multiple-Format Stated-Preference Approach, by F. Reed Johnson, Melissa Ruby and William Desvousges. Presented by F. Reed Johnson.
  • Discussion of Schulze, Chestnut, Mount, Weng and Kim paper by Clark Nardinelli, US FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
  • Discussion of Johnson, Ruby and Desvouges paper by Fred Kuchler, USDA Economic Research Service – Summarization.
  • Policy Discussion for Session II by Nick Bouwes, US EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics – Summarization.
  • Question and Answer Period for Session II. 

Proceedings for Session III, Thursday, March 25, 1999 

Introduction to Day Two

  • Opening Remarks by Norine Noonan, Assistant Administrator, US EPA Office of Research and Development.
  • Opening Remarks by Ramona Trovato, Director, US EPA, Office of Children’s Health Protection – Summarization. 

Session III: How Do We Value Children? 

  • Introductory Remarks for Session 3 by Ed Chu, US EPA Office of Children’s Health Protection – Summarization.
  • Valuing a Statistical Child’s Life: The Case of Bicycle Helmets, by Robin R. Jenkins, Nicole Owens, and Lanelle Bembenek Wiggins. Presented by Robin Jenkins.
  • Discussion of Jenkins, Owens, and Wiggins paper by Mark Dickie, University of Southern Mississippi – Summarization.
  • Valuing Children’s Health and Life: What Does Economic Theory Say about Including Parental and Societal Willingness to Pay? by William T. Harbaugh. Presented by William T. Harbaugh.
  • Contingent Valuation and Valuing Children’s Health, by George Tolley and Robert Fabian. Presented by George Tolley.
  • Question and Answer Period for Session III. 

Proceedings for Session IV, Thursday, March 25, 1999

Session IV: Household Production Models and Children’s Health Valuation

  • Household Environmental Protection and the Intergenerational Transmission of Human Capital, by Thomas D. Crocker and Mark D. Agee. Presented by Thomas D. Crocker.
  • Willingness to Pay for Reductions in Infertility Risks: A Contingent Valuation Study, by George van Houtven and V. Kerry Smith. Presented by George van Houtven.
  • Willingness to Pay for Children’s Health: A Household Production Approach, by Mark Dickie. Presented by Mark Dickie.
  • Discussion of Crocker and Agee paper by Jane Hall, California State University, Fullerton.
  • Discussion of van Houtven and Smith paper by John Horowitz, University of Maryland – Summarization.
  • Discussion of Dickie paper by Jason Shogren, University of Wyoming – Summarization
  • Policy Discussion of Session IV by Robin Jenkins, US EPA Office of Economy and Environment – Summarization.
  • Question and Answer Period for Session IV. 

Workshop Wrap-up

  • Concluding Remarks by Jane Hall, California State University, Fullerton.
  • Concluding Remarks by Trudy Cameron, University of California at Los Angeles.

This workshop is part of the Environmental Policy and Economics Workshop Series.

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