Solutions for the Worlds Biggest Problems: Costs and Benefits by Bjørn Lomborg


Solutions for the Worlds Biggest Problems: Costs and Benefits
Title : Solutions for the Worlds Biggest Problems: Costs and Benefits
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 0521715970
ISBN-10 : 9780521715973
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 462
Publication : First published January 1, 2007

The world has many pressing problems. Thanks to the efforts of governments, NGOs, and individual activists there is no shortage of ideas for resolving them. However, even if all governments were willing to spend more money on solving the problems, we cannot do it all at once. We have to prioritize; and in order to do this we need a better sense of the costs and benefits of each 'solution'. This book offers a rigorous overview of twenty-three of the world's biggest problems relating to the environment, governance, economics, and health and population. Leading economists provide a short survey of the analysis and sketch out policy solutions for which they provide cost-benefit ratios. A unique feature is the provision of freely downloadable software which allows readers to make their own cost-benefit calculations for spending money to make the world a better place.

Solutions for the Worlds Biggest Problems: Costs and Benefits Reviews

  • Harry Harman

    The straightforward answer is to divide the cash into equal amounts. Shouldn’t any extra money go first to the cause with the greatest social value? The idea is simple: with scarce resources it is necessary to prioritize. On a larger scale, this is what underpins the Copenhagen Consensus. Imagine you had $75bn to donate to worthwhile causes.

    The minority of us lucky enough to have been born in the developed world take for granted universal education, an assured food supply and clean, piped water.

    Imagine doctors at a perpetually overrun hospital refusing to perform triage on casualties, instead attending all patients as they arrive and fast-tracking those whose families made the most fuss.

    there is a tendency for resources to go to the places with the best and most accessible stories and the cutest pictures

    One massive tsunami might get global attention and prompt millions of dollars of aid (and hundreds of foreign journalists) to pour in, while another tragic earthquake in a more remote region of the world will be all but forgotten, particularly if it happens when news bulletins are already crowded.

    it makes much more sense to have a program of mass vaccination than to invest in clinics to treat people who are ill. Prevention is nearly always better and more cost-effective than curing.

    One tool that helps us compare the burden of major challenges is the measure of the “Disability Adjusted Life Year” or DALY. The DALY adds up the years of life that are lost and the impact of disability.

    For example, supplying clean water to rural farmers can free women and children from the task of fetching water from far away, allowing more time for children to attend school.

    too important to ignore.

    In the context of the Copenhagen Consensus, this challenge poses a problem because there is a lack of proper cost-benefit analysis of proposed solutions. It seems it’s easier to access disaster relief funding after the worst has already happened.

    reduce micro-nutrient deficiencies (specifically iron, iodine and Vitamin A).

    immigration generally reckoned to have a positive economic impact. However, uncontrolled immigration puts pressure on healthcare, educational and housing resources and can be a source of social tension. It can also push wages downward and displace some of the native labor force.

  • Clivemichael

    Confused priorities