期刊名称：The new Atlantis: A Journal of Technology & Society
印刷版ISSN：1543-1215
电子版ISSN：1555-5569
出版年度：2011
期号：31
出版社：Ethics and Public Policy Center
摘要：Economists know the price of everything, but the value of nothing. This cliché captures the standard progressive critique of using cost-benefit analysis (CBA) to guide government policy, environmental regulation in particular. The core argument is that cost-benefit calculations are incapable of capturing the full range of ethical, aesthetic, and other concerns that should motivate regulatory decision-making, and that CBA has a tendency to undervalue precautionary measures — particularly measures that guard against catastrophic risks, defend vulnerable populations, and ensure equitable distribution of resources. While some progressive thinkers, such as New York University’s Richard Revesz and Obama administration regulatory czar Cass Sunstein, believe CBA can be reformed into a useful tool for progressive policymaking, others believe CBA is fundamentally flawed and should be exorcised from the federal regulator’s toolkit.
