Fatal Tradeoffs: Public and Private Responsibilities for Risk

Ideally, it would be desirable if we could all adopt a high-minded commitment to a risk-free existence. Unfortunately, such an objective is beyond our reach--politicians who advocate higher taxes rarely get elected and economists who indicate that our resources are limited are often portrayed as purveyors of pessimism. Fatal Tradeoffs culminates and synthesizes the research of the government's expert on the value of life and risk regulation. This volume presents Viscusi's work in the social regulation of risk, this volume covers topics relating to the value and empirical estimates of life, the rationality of individual responses to risk, and the role of government policy. In addition to a careful selection of his writings, Fatal Tradeoffs includes a new survey of the value-of-life literature, a review of the 1980s regulatory reforms, and guidelines for risk policy. Balanced with case studies, the more technical articles have been opened to include policy ramifications, making the text accessible to professionals and academics alike.