Our research and outreach centers at the Evans School of Public Affairs provide innovative analysis and solutions for many different issues locally, nationally, and internationally. Our centers include:
Benefit-Cost Analysis Center aims to improve the understanding and use of benefit-cost analysis as a decision-making tool through research, outreach, and standardization of benefit-cost analysis methodology.
Cascade Center is a nationally recognized education provider for the public and nonprofit sectors. Cascade Center courses are designed to help on-the-job managers and leaders develop their skills, make their programs more effective, and enhance their service to the communities they support.
Center for Urban Simulation and Policy Analysis fosters greater understanding of the relationship between urban growth and public policy. The center has as its centerpiece "UrbanSim," a software-based simulation model that allows metropolitan planning organizations and others to forecast the likely effects of land use and transportation plans and policies.
Human Services Policy Center pairs applied analytic research with the promotion of policies that improve the lives of children, families, and communities.
Marc Lindenberg Center for Humanitarian Action, International Development, and Global Citizenship works to expand teaching, research, and service opportunities in the areas of humanitarian action, international development, and global citizenship.
West Coast Poverty Center serves as the hub for knowledge and awareness of the causes and consequences of poverty and effective approaches to reduce it in west coast states. The center is a joint project with the University of Washington’s School of Social Work and the College of Arts and Sciences.
William D. Ruckelshaus Center provides expertise to improve the quality and availability of voluntary collaborative approaches for policy development and multi-party dispute resolution. The center is a joint venture between the Evans School at the University of Washington and Washington State University Extension.
The Water Center brings together experts from a range of disciplines to understand and resolve water problems and water health. The center is joint project with the University of Washington’s College of Forest Resources, the College of Engineering, and the College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences.
Other research and outreach projects at the Evans School include:
Access to pre-published research in the individual areas of Evans School faculty expertise through the Evans School Working Paper Series,
And worldwide academic collaboration among teachers of public administration, public policy, and related subjects through our Electronic Hallway
Benefit-Cost Analysis Center
The core aim of the Benefit-Cost Analysis Center is to improve the understanding and use of benefit-cost analysis (BCA) as a decision-making tool. Our research and outreach is geared toward:
Improving and standardizing benefit-cost analysis methodology,
Strengthening relationships between institutions that use it,
Diseminating information about its use and misuse, and
Expanding its use when appropriate.
This involves working with a variety of government agencies and academic professionals whose work involves benefit-cost analysis. We accomplish this through:
Benefit-cost (or cost-benefit) analysis (or BCA) aims to inform the decision-making process with specific types of information, namely measures in monetary terms of willingness to pay for a change by those who will benefit from it, and the willingness to accept the change by those who will lose from it.
The use of monetary terms provides a common metric. Its purpose is not to price everything, but rather to order choices in a way that is informative about social choices for decision makers.
The Society for Benefit-Cost Analysis is an international
organization dedicated to the advancement, encouragement, and exchange
of ideas, research, and other activities related to:
Benefit-Cost analysis (BCA),
Cost-effectiveness analysis,
Risk-benefit analysis,
Applied welfare economic analysis, and
Damage assessments.
This includes the intersection with other disciplines such as economics, law, engineering, policy, decision sciences and the natural sciences.
The Society has adopted the following primary goals:
Bring together individuals from diverse disciplines and from different countries and provide them opportunities to foster collaboration and exchange information, ideas and methodologies related to the practice and theory of benefit-cost analysis and applied welfare economics;
Encourage applications of benefit-cost and applied welfare analysis, and promote dialogue between practitioners and others who are interested in benefit-cost analysis;
Facilitate the development and dissemination of knowledge about benefit-cost and applied welfare analysis methods and their applications;
Develop and update standards of practice for benefit-cost and applied welfare analysis.
Foster methods to improve communication and consideration of benefit-cost methods and results.
The central purpose of the Benefit-Cost Analysis Center is to disseminate information to those working in government agencies and academic institutions who use benefit-cost analysis (BCA) methodology.
Our conferences play an important role in this, and help us in reaching our goal to start a national conversation on standards to follow in applying benefit-cost analysis (BCA) as a decision-making tool.
Advancing Social Policy-Making Through Benefit-Cost Analysis: Challenges and Opportunities
June 24-25, Washington, D.C.
This national policy forum is funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and will:
Examine the role of benefit-cost analysis in social policy-making
Highlight the new opportunities presented by recent uses of benefit-cost analysis in social arenas
We will also aim to develop strategies for making Benefit Cost Analysis more practical, consistent, and implementable, within the social policy fields.
We have invited leading scholars, practitioners, lawyers, and policy-makers to share ideas about the implementation of benefit-cost analysis techniques and procedures. We also hope conference participants will offer advice on how improve the quality of social benefit-cost analysis and increase the usage of it in regard to social programs at all levels of government.
Conference Schedule and Highlights
Day 1: Tuesday, June 24 – 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The conference will present the following panels, highlighting recent successes of integration between benefit-cost analysis and social policy-making with and emphasis on identifying transferable lessons.
The Use of Evidence-Based Research on Children’s Outcomes to Promote Economic Competitiveness: The Case of the Partnership for America's Economic Success will describe how partnership-supported research about the rates of return for specific child development strategies has been used to establish new ways to justify investments in children.
Panel Chair: Robert Dugger, Managing Partner, Tudor Investment Corporation
Greg Duncan, Edwina S. Tarry Professor, School of Education and Social Policy, and Faculty Fellow, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University
Robert Bradham, Senior Vice President of Business Development and Government Affairs, Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce
Lessons from Government Experience with Benefit-Cost Analysis: USA and the EU will discuss the extent to which benefit-cost analysis improves decision-making, and will explore how such use can be fashioned to have greater impact with respect to the analysis of federal social programs
Panel Chair: John Graham, Dean, Pardee RAND Graduate School of Public Policy and Dean-Designate, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University
John Morrall, Branch Chief, U.S. Office of Management and Budget
Kimberly Thompson, Associate Profesor of Risk Analysis and Decision Science, School of Public Health, Harvard University
Jonathan Wiener, Perkins Profesor of Law and Environmental Policy, Duke University
Using Benefit-Cost Analysis in the State Legislature: Case Study of the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) will have senior staff members of the Washington State Senate examining whether or not benefit-cost analysis effectively contributes to state level decision-making.
Panel Chair: Steve Aos, Assistant Director, Washington State Institute for Public Policy
Richard Ramsey, Fiscal Analyst, Washington State Senate Ways and Means Committee
Tim Skeel, Principal Economist, Seattle Public Utilities, City of Seattle
Integrated Administrative Data Systems: Generating Benefits and Costs in Real Time Over Time will examine how integrated administrative data enables measurement of investments and returns across agency boundaries, leading to a transformation in social policy.
Panel Chair: Dennis Culhane, Professor of Social Welfare Policy, School of Social Policy and Practice; and Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Richard Burgess, Manager/Database Area Supporting DHS/CSES, Department of Information Technology, State of Michigan
Pete Bailey, Chief, Office of Research and Statistics, South Carolina
Manuel Moreno, Research Director for the Chief Executive Office, Research and Evaluation, Los Angeles County
Martha Moorehouse, Division Director for Children and Youth Policy, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
John Fantuzzo, Greenfield Professor of Human Relations, University of Pennsylvania
Day 2: Wednesday, June 25 – 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The second day of the conference will focus on identifying research strategies that will make Benefit-Cost Analysis more practical and useable in future social policy-making.
Key Factors Enabling Rigorous Research to Influence Policy: Lessons from Welfare, Education, and Other Areas will discuss concrete examples in which rigorous research findings – including benefit-cost results – have had a meaningful impact on policy decisions, and instances when they did not. The goal is to identify key ingredients that make for successful impact.
Panel Chair: Jon Baron, Executive Director, Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy
Robert Shea, Associate Director for OMB Administration and Government Performance, U.S. Office of Management and Budget
Ron Haskins, Senior Fellow and Co-Director, Center for Children and Families, Brookings Institution
Robert Slavin, Director, Center for Research and Reform in Education, The Johns Hopkins University; Director, Institute for Effective Education, University of York; and Co-Founder and Chairman, Success for All Foundation
Missing Shadow Prices from Benefit-Cost Analyses of Social Programs will examine how analysis of social programs can be improved by giving attention to shadow prices.
Panel Chair: Dave Weimer, Professor of Public Affairs and Political Science, LaFollette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin
Robert Haveman, John Bascom Emeritus Professor, LaFollette School of Public Affairs and Department of Economics, and Faculty Affiliate, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin
V. Kerry Smith, W.P. Carey Professor of Economics, Arizona State University
Philip Cook, ITT/Terry Sanford Professor of Public Policy Studies, Professor of Economics and Sociology, and Associate Director, Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy, Duke University
Issues in the Development of Principles and Standards for Conducting Social Benefit-Cost Analysis will address areas and process for development, historical experience, templates, and values for analysis in developing principles and standards in the field of benefit-cost analysis.
Panel Chair: Scott Farrow, Professor and Chair, Department of Economics, University of Maryland - Baltimore County
Arnold Harberger, Distinguished Professor of Economics, University of California, Los Angeles
Lynn Karoly, Senior Economist, RAND Corporation
Lester Lave, Professor of Economics, Carnegie Mellon University
David Weimer, Professor of Public Affairs and Political Science, LaFollette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin
End of Conference Luncheon
Keynote Speaker: Jonathan F. Fanton, President, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Where:The Liaison Capitol Hill, An Affinia Hotel, 415 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. Rooms will be held until May 30 for a special meeting rate of $289 plus tax. Parking will be available for $34/day. Reserve your hotel and parking reservations at 202.638.1616.
Conference and membership registration fees:
Conference registration for current members: $75
Conference registration for nonmembers: $100
Membership for Society for Benefit-Cost Analysis: $75
Conference Registration and Membership Package: $125
Meeting Agenda
Day 1: Wednesday, June 25
Registration and Check-In: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Lunch with keynote speech "The Power of Measuring Social Benefits" by Jonathan Fanton, president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, : 12:45-1:45 p.m.
Panel 1 – States, Localities, and Benefit-Cost Analysis: 2:30 – 3:45 p.m. Panel Chair: Ken Acks of the Cost Benefit Group
Regulatory Regime Change under Federalism: Do States Matter More? by W. Gray of Clark University and R. Shadbegian of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
The Net Social Benefit of Transforming Six Public Housing Projects into Mixed-Income Communities by T. Boston of Georgia Institute of Technology and L. Boston of EuQuant
A Retrospective Assessment of the Pittsburgh Midfield Airport Expansion by J. Sturgis of Carnegie Mellon University
Variations on a Theme: Benefit-Cost Analysis and Environmental Regulation in Pennsylvania by W. Delavan of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Panel 2 – Uncertainty and Risk: 4:00-5:15 p.m. Panel Chair: Scott Farrow of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County
How to Integrate Risk Assessment and Benefit-Cost Analysis by A. Jessup, C. Nardinelli, D. Mancini, and L. Bush of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Office of Management and Budget
Early Identification and Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease: Desirable Social and Fiscal Outcomes by D. Weimer and M. Sager of the University of Wisconsin
The Importance of Uncertainty in a Benefit-Cost Analysis of Flood Proofing Policy Decisions for Adaptation to Sea-level Rise by M. Schultz of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and P. Fischbeck, and M. Small of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Carnegie Mellon University
Homeland Security Benefit-Cost Analysis: Small Steps Forward, Giant Leaps To Go by E. Shapiro of Rutgers University
Reception and Open-Poster Session: 5:30-6:30 p.m.
The Costs and Benefits of a Green Mixed-Use Brownfield Redevelopment Project in New York by K. Acks of the Cost Benefit Group
The Fatal Flaw of Benefit-Cost Analysis: The Problem of Person-Altering Consequences by G. Cresip of Southern Methodist University
Benefit-Cost Analysis in Foreign Direct Investment: Trends, Limitations, and Prospects by N. Dasgupta of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Random Error and Simulation Models with an Unobserved Dependent Variable as Applied to the Benefits and Costs of the Clean Air Act by S. Farrow of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County
A Full Cost Analysis of Using Backup Generators to Meet Peak Electricity Demand by E. Gilmore, P. Adams, and L. Lave of Carnegie Mellon University
Riparian Buffers and Hedonic Prices: A Quasi-Experimental Analysis of Residential Property Values in the Neuse River Basin by O. Gin, C. Landry, and G. Meyer of East Carolina University
Different Measures of the Value of Changes in Risks: The Reference State Matters by J. Knetsch of Simon Fraser University
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Mercury Control Technologies for Virginia by V. Satyal of the Virgina Department of Environmental Quality
Mapping Environmental Preferences for Ambiguous Natural Resources by S. Vajjhala, A. John, and D. Evans of Resources for the Future and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The Relevance of the Scitovsky Paradox by A. Schmitz of the University of Florida
Getting the Sulpher out of Gasoline: Costs and Benefits by G. Jenkins of Queen's University
Dinner on your own
Day 2: Thursday, June 26
Continental Breakfast: 7:30-8:00 a.m.
Panel 3 – Federal Practice: 8:00-9:15 a.m. Panel Chair: Betsy Cody of the Congressional Research Service
Benefit-Cost Analysis at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by S. Grosse of the Centers for Disease Control
Benefit-Cost Analysis and the Performance of Homeland Security Spending by J. Ghez of the RAND Corporation
Agency Capabilities and Performance in Applying Benefit-Cost Analysis by R. Belzer of the Regulatory Checkbook
The Influence of Economists in the Federal health, Safety and Environmental Agencies by R. Williams of George Mason University
Panel 4 – International Issues and Applications: 9:30-10:45 a.m. Panel Char: Jack Knetsch of Simon Fraser University
Potential Practices for Integrating International Impacts into Regulatory Impact Analyses by D. Mancini of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget
Socioeconomic and Financial Evaluation of Infrastructure and Transport Projects with Environmental Impacts by C. Leon, M. Ruiz, and M. Romero of the University of Las Palmas
Cost-Effectiveness Methods and Practice in Education: A Critical Review of Program Evaluation in Developing Countries by M. Pirog, K. Krutilla, T. Guzman, and C. Dew of Indiana University
Benefit-Cost Analysis and International Collective Action: The Case of Climate Change by D. Cole of Indiana University
Panel 5 – Time, Mortality, and Quality of Life: 11:00a.m.-12:15p.m. Panel Chair: TBD
Incorporating Nonmarket Time Into Benefit-Cost Analyses of Social Programs by D. Greenberg of the University of Maryland, and P. Robins of the University of Miami
Changing Profiles: Lags and the Social Rate of Time Preference by Topic by K. Patora of the Washington State Department of Ecology
Should Agencies Value Mortality Risk Reductions Differently Depending on the Context? by L. Robinson
Valuation of Quality of Life Losses Associated with Nonfatal Injury: Insights from Jury Verdict Data by D. Aiken and W. Zamula of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Buffet Lunch and Society Meeting: 12:15-1:45 p.m.
Panel 6 – Methods Pushing Boundaries: 1:45-3:00 p.m. Panel Chair: David Weimer of the University of Wisconsin
Policy Establishment Costs: The Normative Implications for Benefit-Cost Analysis by K. Krutilla of Indiana University
Environmental Decisions without Benefit-Cost Analysis: A Ranking-Based Alternative by J. Horowtiz and J. Quiggin of the University of Maryland-College Park
The Irrelevance of the Compensation Test by R. Zerbe of the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington
Using Benefit Cost Analysis to Assess Nonprofit Performance by J. Cordes and C. Coventry of George Washington University
The Welfare Economics of Sharing Fixed Costs of Product Safety Regulation, Presentation (1,007 KB PDF) by Richard Just; presented by Richard Just
The Information Industry, Distant Use Value and the Exxon Valdez, Presentation (235 KB PDF) by R. Scott Farrow and Douglas M. Larson; presented by Scott Farrow
Cost-Effective Species Conservation, Presentation (768 KB PDF) by Mark Plummer
Note: The links provided mainly connect to sources outside the Center's website, either to webpages or directly to .pdf or .doc files. Approximate sizes of PDF files have been included. Depending on your browser settings, the files may open in your browser or automatically begin downloading.
Richard O. Zerbe
Benefit-Cost Analysis Center
Evans School of Public Affairs
University of Washington
Box 353055
Room 226 Parrington Hall
Seattle, WA 98195-3055, USA Phone: 206-616-5470 Email: zerbe@u.washington.edu
The nonpartisan Civic Engagement for the 21st Century Project at the Evans School is dedicated to forming a new model for solving complex community challenges by renewing and transforming civic engagement into a process that:
Better informs citizens
Fosters improved decision-making
Capitalizes on the thoughts of a spectrum of people
And improves the quality of life for current and future generations
The project goes beyond theory to actually convene people around current regional challenges through various events at the Evans School.
Find out more about the background of the project.
Background
Through a philanthropic gift from the Boeing Company, we were able to launch the Civic Engagement for the 21st Century Project at the Evans School in 2006.
The goal of the project is to create a new model of civic engagement that makes use of available forms of communication today.
Why is it important to renew civic engagement and create a new model for it?
A number of social and political forces in the world today inhibit our ability to find shared values and develop creative solutions to critical political problems. These forces include:
Polarization
Cynicism
Disillusionment
Lack of civility
How will the new model help change the current state of civic engagement?
The research involved in designing the model will generate new knowledge about how to improve democratic governance through effective dialogues between citizens, policymakers, and stakeholders.
Who will use the new model for civic engagement?
Citizens who want more knowledge and control over their future, and leaders who are seeking to better serve citizens and manage the political risks associated with change.
Distinguished Practitioner-in-Residence Norman B. Rice, a former City of Seattle mayor, is laying the foundation of the Civic Engagement for the 21st Century project. A number of major initiatives were in the Rice Administration were guided by five core principles of strong community engagement:
Center the engagement on policy rather than politics.
Framing questions around values first and issues second allows for building common ground and eases the divisiveness that is prevalent in today’s political environment.
Have meaningful civic engagement or no engagement at all.
Giving citizens the opportunity to shape the questions and answers requires compassionate leadership, trusting the process rather than controlling it, and not having presumptions about what the results of the process will be like.
Hyper-communication is key.
A public endeavor will never fail from too much communication. Today’s technology has expanded the toolbox for communicating and can help move people along a continuum from being informed - to interested - to involved.
Civic engagement requires political will.
Communities need to identify and support leaders who:
Have the political will of investing in civic engagement,
And continue that investment even when putting their own re-election chances at risk.
Civic engagement should look beyond governance.
Leaders must learn to leave boundaries and biases aside in order to get the heart of policy issues. This requires strategies at the regional level where silos of governance are brought down, working through territorial disputes, and prioritizing collaboration.
These same five core principles are used in all Civic Engagement for the 21st Century events hosted by the Evans School, which will put the project’s research to practice in discussing regional policy issues.
The focus of the Civic Engagement for the 21st Century project at the Evans School is not to advocate for particular perspectives. Rather, the focus is the advancement of meaningful, inclusive dialogue when addressing issues of public concern.
We will do this by studying effective components of civic engagement, including the new technologies of today, and the different roles each of us play in the process, including:
Individual citizens
Public-private partnerships
Nonprofits
Elected officials
Academic institutions
The media
The work involved with the project will ultimately result in:
Creating a new model of civic engagement that provides innovative methods for increasing civic participation and creativity in solving complex policy issues.
Using the new model to host a set of forums at the Evans School on regional policies that address issues urban communities face today such as affordable housing and homelessness, the socioeconomic integration of immigrants, racial inequities, and religious expression.
Introducing the new model of civic engagement and the best-applied practices of it through publications and a documentary.
Mentoring a body of leaders educated on the value and methodology behind effective civic engagement.