There are a variety of reasons for wanting to measure the costs and benefits from policy and other changes in economic activity. Governments want to measure the impact of their policy changes on society as a whole, while private agents focus on the impact they have on their own welfare and the welfare of those they care about. In markets subject to tax and other distortions market prices are not normally reliable measures of the social valuation of goods and services. Thus, they cannot be used to evaluate the social impact of policy and other changes. Instead, we derive shadow prices of goods and services to look through market distortions and measure social valuations. When changes in economic activity are evaluated using these shadow prices they provide measures of the social impact of policy and other changes.
This course summarises the information provided by different welfare measures for single consumers and then looks at ways to aggregate them over consumers. In doing so, we examine ways to account for distributional effects in policy evaluation. Tax reform and the optimal provision of public goods are examined as applications of these shadow pricing rules.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon successful completion of the requirements for this course, students will be able to:
1. determine when a CBA may be performed in a meaningful way;
2. perform the CBA as completely as possible under relevant modelling assumptions or approximations;
3. identify the elements that may compromise the validity of the CBA such as limitations in modelling assumptions, limitations in data, and political concerns;
4. effectively communicate the results of the CBA to the relevant parties.
5. understanding the implications of tax and social security policies.
Other Information
See the course outline on the College courses page. Outlines are uploaded as they become available.
Indicative Assessment
- 5 Homework Assignments (15%)
- 1 Mid-semester Examination (20%)
- 1 In-class Examinations (25%)
- Final Examination (40%)
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
10-12 hours per weekRequisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Boardman. Anthony E., David H. Greenberg, Aidan R.Vining, and David L. Weimer. Cost-Benefit Analysis: Concepts And Practice, 4th Edition (Pearson series in Economics, 2011)
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 3
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2017 | $3852 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2017 | $5130 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8929 | 24 Jul 2017 | 31 Jul 2017 | 31 Aug 2017 | 27 Oct 2017 | In Person | N/A |
