Oecd Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Valuation of Environment-related Health Risks for Children Oecd Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Is the value of reducing environmental risk greater for children than for adults? If so, what does this mean for policy makers? This report, the final output of the Valuation of Environment-Related Health Impacts (VERHI) project, presents new research findings on these key environmental policy questions.

The authors estimate a ""VSL"" (Value of a Statistical Life) for children and adults based on new methodological approaches for valuing childrens health. The survey work is distinguished by its international dimension (surveys were conducted in the Czech Republic, Italy and the United Kingdom) and by the extensive development efforts undertaken.

The result: Two new survey instruments based on different methodological approaches; new estimates of the VSL for adults and children; analysis of the effects of context and other factors on risk preferences; presentation of novel ways to communicate risk, including a variety of visual aids; and insights that identify interesting paths for further study.

Table of Content :

List of Acronyms
Executive Summary
Introduction: The VERHI Project and its Goals
Chapter 1.The Valuation of Environmental Health Risks
-Introduction
-Valuing health risks in general
-Valuing health risks for children
-Review of previous epidemiological and economic studies
-The objectives of the VERHI project
-Annex 1. A1. Review of the Epidemiological and Economic Evidence
Chapter 2.Valuing Health Risks for Children The Research Challenges
-Introduction
-Who is able to speak for children?
-Household composition and decision-making: How does this affect results?
-How to communicate small and unfamiliar risks
-Distinguishing between different types of risk
-Taking latent risks into account
-Summary points
Chapter 3.New Approaches to Survey Design and Implementation
-Introduction
-How risk was communicated to the respondents
-The scenarios presented to the respondents
-Design of the final questionnaires
-Implementation of the questionnaires
-Annex 3. A1. Chronology and Main outcomes of Survey Development Work
Chapter 4. Survey Results
-Introduction
-Chaining method
-Conjoint choice experiment
-Person trade-offs between children and adults
-Are the results transferable?
Chapter 5. Conclusions and policy implications
-Introduction
-Is the VSL for children greater than for adults?
-Why might values be different for similar risks?
-Implications for public policy