Economic Appraisal of Environmental Projects and Policies: A Practical Guide

It is now well recognized that economic appraisal of environmental impacts is a key element of the decision to invest in new projects and policies. Several methods exist for carrying out these appraisals, but knowledge of these methods is normally confined to a small number of technicicans in charge of the basic studies. Policy analysts and decision makers also need to be aware of these procedures. The purpose of this practical guide is to explain to policy analysts and decision makers the basic principles, field of application, strengths and weaknesses of existing economic evaluation techniques. A non-technical approach is taken, using concrete examples from both industrialized and developing countries.