Question

Suppose that policymakers are doing cost-benefit analysis on a proposal to add traffic barriers to divide the flow of traffic in an effort to increase safety on a given highway. Which of the following statements is correct?
A. Because human life is priceless, any measure to increase traffic safety would generate benefits that outweigh the costs.
B. Estimating the value of a human life is difficult but necessary in order to evaluate the proposal.
C. The benefits are usually easier to measure than the costs.
D. Both a and b are correct.

Answer 1

Answer:

B. Estimating the value of a human life is difficult but necessary in order to evaluate the proposal.

Explanation:

Cost benefit analysis is a method used to guage the cost involved in an undertaking or process compared to the benefit.

If the coat is higher than the benefit the activity is discarded.

However if the benefit is greater than the cost it is a good activity to adopt.

In this scenario there is a proposal to add traffic barriers to divide the flow of traffic in an effort to increase safety on a given highway.

We will weigh the cost of setting up traffick barriers and the estimated value of human life.

If cost is more than the value of human life then the project is abandoned. But if value of human life is higher than the cost the project can proceed.

Although it is hard to estimate value of human life, we need to make an estimate in order to use the cost benefit analysis