Discounting dollars, discounting lives
Subtitle: intergenerational distributive justice and efficiency
By: Louis Kaplow.
Contributors: Kaplow, Louis.; National Bureau of Economic Research.
Series: NBER working paper series -- working paper 12239; Working paper series (National Bureau of Economic Research : Online) -- working paper no. 12239.
Publisher: National Bureau of Economic Research
Published: 2006
Place of publication: Cambridge, MA
Language: eng
Format: Electronic resource
Description: "The view that intergenerational distributive justice and efficiency should be treated separately is familiar, yet controversial.  This article elaborates the often-implicit justifications for separate treatment and provides a more express statement of how and when such treatment is appropriate.  Substantial attention is devoted to an approach that holds constant the intra- and intergenerational distribution of well-being, which proves to be a valuable analytical device even for intergenerational policies that are not distribution neutral.  Also explored are possible interrelationships between intergenerational distributive justice and efficiency, the choice of interest rate for discounting dollars, and how the present approach relates to those that would employ direct social weights to dollars at different points in time"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site.
Notes: Title from PDF file as viewed on 5/25/2006.

Includes bibliographical references.

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Mode of access: World Wide Web.