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A Generalized Approach to Multigeneration Project Evaluation
Author(s) -
Liu Liqun,
Rettenmaier Andrew J.,
Saving Thomas R.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
southern economic journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.762
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 2325-8012
pISSN - 0038-4038
DOI - 10.1002/j.2325-8012.2004.tb00645.x
Subject(s) - economics , pareto principle , generalization , independence (probability theory) , microeconomics , social welfare function , rate of return , welfare , capital (architecture) , contrast (vision) , discounting , econometrics , mathematics , computer science , finance , statistics , operations management , market economy , mathematical analysis , archaeology , history , artificial intelligence
In this article, we generalize the existing descriptive approach to multigeneration public project evaluation, taking into account distortionary taxes on capital income. In contrast to conventional wisdom, we show that such generalization does not require a project‐specific social discount rate ( SDR ) expressedas a weighted average of gross and net rates of return. What emerges is the concept of the marginal cost of public funds ( MCF ) that has the convenient property of project independence. In addition, the MCF ‐based criterion identifies projects that, along with appropriate intergenerational transfers through time‐varying head taxes, are Pareto improving, and is, therefore, independent of any utilitarian social welfare function being used.