Operationalizing concepts of equity for public project investments

CJ Khisty - Transportation Research Record, 1996 - journals.sagepub.com
CJ Khisty
Transportation Research Record, 1996journals.sagepub.com
Decisions for evaluating public project investment most frequently use benefit-cost analysis.
The procedure rests on the assumption that an efficient alternative should be selected that
maximizes the net aggregate benefits to society as a whole. However, this selection results
in projects that invariably provide different levels of benefits to members of a community,
thus contravening the principles of equity or distributive justice. Six strategies for dealing
with the problem of distributive justice are explored and examined and then applied in a …
Decisions for evaluating public project investment most frequently use benefit-cost analysis. The procedure rests on the assumption that an efficient alternative should be selected that maximizes the net aggregate benefits to society as a whole. However, this selection results in projects that invariably provide different levels of benefits to members of a community, thus contravening the principles of equity or distributive justice. Six strategies for dealing with the problem of distributive justice are explored and examined and then applied in a common setting to a public project where several efficient alternatives are proposed. While this research is not prompted by the desire to proclaim a winner from among the strategies, it is evident that some strategies make heroic attempts to reduce inequity. Issues connected with obtaining public consensus are also briefly mentioned.
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