Lecture 1

Topic: Valuation of small and multiple health risks: A critical analysis of SP data applied to food and water safety (Title of paper)

Abstract: This study elicits individual preferences for reducing morbidity and mortality risk in the context of an infectious disease (campylobacter) using choice experiments (CE). Respondents are in the survey asked to choose between different policies that, in addition to the two health risks, also vary with respect to source of disease being targeted (food or water), when the policy takes place (in time), and the monetary cost. Our results in our baseline model are in line with expectations; respondents prefer the benefits of the program sooner than later, programs that reduce both the mortality and morbidity risk, and less costly programs. Moreover, our results suggest that respondents prefer water- compared with food-safety programs. However, a main objective of this study is to examine scope sensitivity of mortality risk reductions using a novel approach. Our results from a split-sample design suggest that the value of the mortality risk reduction, defined as the value of a statistical life (VSL), is SEK 3 177 (USD 470 million) and SEK 50 million (USD 7.4 million), respectively, in our two sub-samples. This result cast doubt on the standard scope sensitivity tests in CE, and the results also cast doubt on the validity and reliability of VSL estimates based on stated preference (and revealed preference) studies in general.

Speaker: Henrik Andersson (Toulouse School of Economics, France)

Time：5th June, 3：00-5：00 pm

Location：老地学楼301会议室

Lecture 2

Topic: Environmental valuation: revealed and stated preferences

Abstract: The objective of this lecture is to introduce the theoretical foundations of environmental evaluation and to present and describe the empirical methods used. We will discuss strengths and weaknesses with the two empirical approaches used, i.e. revealed and stated preference methods, and then each approach will be exemplified with some selected preference elicitation techniques, such as hedonic pricing and contingent valuation.

Speaker: Henrik Andersson (Toulouse School of Economics, France)

Time：6th June, 3：10-6：00 pm

Location：Room 410, Science Building

Brief CV of the speaker

Henrik Andersson

Dr Andersson is a member of the “Laboratoire d’Economie des Ressources Naturelles (LERNA)”, at Toulouse School of Economics (France). His research mainly concerns methodological and empirical issues of the evaluation of non-marketed goods using revealed and stated preference methods, and pricing of externalities. His research area covers physical (health) risks and noise, especially in transportation, food and water safety. He got his PhD degree in economics from Lund University (Sweden) and worked as a postdoc (La Fondation J.-J. Laffont) at Toulouse School of Economics and a researcher at Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (Stockholm, Sweden). He has also been a visiting scholar/scientist at Harvard University and University of Kentucky. To date, he has published more than 15 important papers on many economics journals, such as Environmental and Resource Economics, Journal of Health Economics, Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Risk Analysis, Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, etc.