Benefit Cost Analysis and Public Decisions Concerning       Natural Resources and Environment: A Study in Ethics and    Values
{'Code': '08000000', 'Directorate': {'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Rachelle D. Hollander'}
A natural resource and environmental economist and a philosopher                specializing in socio-political ethics and the philosophy of economics          will study the ethical and value implications of using benefit cost             analysis (BCA) when public decisions about natural and environmental            resources are being made.  Using standard economic-theoretic and                philosophical methods, the investigators will (1) identify and analyze          the ethical and value commitments inherent in using BCA to evaluate             proposed public policies, and (2) examine particular ethics and values          issues that arise when BCA is applied to decisions about natural and            environmental resources, with special attention to public goods and             nonmarket valuations.  Combining these methods with a case study of             land-use management decision-making in the USDA Forest Service, the             investigators will also examine value conflicts confronting economists          and the discipline of economics when BCA has an important and perhaps           decisive role in policy-making.  The case study will be based on review         of specialized literature and agency documents, and key-informant               interviews.  The investigators will disseminate results through                 scholarly channels as well multidisciplinary and semi-popular outlets;          they will also evaluate the possibility of preparing a book and holding         a special workshop for for selected scholars, land use and                      environmental managers, and representatives of relevant interest                groups, based on their results.                                                                                                                                 This project will make a unique contribution to scholarly and                   professional understanding of ethical and value issues surrounding              development and application of BCA in public decisions about natural            and environmental resources.  The investigators are both exceptionally          well-qualified; graduate students are involved; institutional support           is good.  This is a good example of the kind of cross-disciplinary              collaborative research EVS should encourage.  Results are likely to be          useful and widely disseminated.  Costs are very reasonable.  Total              support in the amount of $80,000 is recommended, of which $70,000 comes         from Ethics and Values Studies and $10,000 from the Economics Program.
{'FirstName': 'Alan', 'LastName': 'Randall', 'EmailAddress': 'randall.3@osu.edu', 'StartDate': '08/01/1987', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}
{'Name': 'Ohio State University Research Foundation -DO NOT USE', 'CityName': 'Columbus', 'ZipCode': '432101016', 'PhoneNumber': '6146888734', 'StreetAddress': '1960 KENNY RD', 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Ohio', 'StateCode': 'OH'}
[{'Code': '1320', 'Text': 'ECONOMICS'}, {'Code': '9145', 'Text': 'SPECIAL PROGRAMS-RESERVE'}]
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1987&All=true', 'xml': '8710153.xml'}