Increasing the Utility of Benefit-Cost Analysis

Fifth Annual Conference and Meeting of the Society for Benefit-Cost Analysis

Overview: The Society for Benefit-Cost Analysis welcomed over 170 attendees to its fifth annual conference and meeting on February 21-22, 2013, in Washington, D.C. Conference participants spent two days attending 24 panels on a variety of topics, listening to a keynote speech by Arnold Harberger, and networking with a blend of practitioners, scholars, and government representatives who work in benefit-cost analysis. An off-site dinner reception sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation allowed for further one-on-one discussions on Thursday, February 21, and the annual meeting of the Society membership occurred during lunch on Friday, February 22.

View photos from the conference. View the full panel schedule, now with links to download presentations.

Jump to:

• Registration
• Agenda
• Panel Schedule
• Accommodations
• Call for Papers, Chairs, and Discussants
• Program Committee

Where: FHI360 Conference Center, 1825 Connecticut Ave. NW (Dupont Circle), Washington, D.C.

When: February 21-22, 2013

Registration:

Early Bird - before January 16

• Members $275 (current Society membership required)
• Non-members $325
• Students $155 (current full-time student ID required at conference check-in)

Regular - after January 16

• Members $305 (current Society membership required)
• Non-members $355
• Students $185
• Note: on-site registrations will incur an additional $30 processing fee.

Online registration is closed. Remaining spaces may be available for walk-in registration on the day of the conference. Note that any on-site registrations will carry an additional $30 processing fee.

Agenda: Conference registration includes all listed activities.

Thursday, February 21

• 8:00 - 8:40 a.m. Registration and breakfast
• 8:40 - 9:00 a.m. Opening remarks
• 9:00 10:30 a.m. Session 1
  • The Market Failure Moorings of BCA
  • Using BCA to Improve Tobacco Regulation
  • BCA in the Context of Adapting to Long-Term Climate Change
• 10:45 - 12:15 p.m. Session 2
  • What is Missing from Retrospective Regulatory Reviews?
  • Environmental Application of BCA
  • Innovations in BCA and CEA of Programs and Policies for Preventing Youth Problem Behavior
• 12:15 - 1:30 p.m. Lunch featuring keynote speaker Arnold Harberger, distinguished professor of economics at UCLA and president emeritus of the Society
• 1:45 - 3:15 p.m. Session 3
  • BCA at the Federal Aviation Administration
  • Cost-Effectiveness and Benefit-Cost Analysis Applied to Education
  • BCA before the Deluge
• 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. Session 4
  • Big Perspectives on Using BCA
  • Social Policy and BCA
  • BCA Applications to Energy
• 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. Dinner reception at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

Friday, February 22

• 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. Breakfast, registration and networking
• 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. Session 5
  • New Approaches in BCA
  • Environmental Application of BCA
  • BCA in Europe
• 10:45 - 12:15 p.m. Session 6
  • BCA in the States
  • Issues in Trade, Taxation, and Housing Policy, Academy Hall
  • Environmental Policy
• 12:15 - 1:30 p.m. Lunch, Business meeting of the membership
• 1:45 - 3:15 p.m. Session 7
  • Efficiency and Beyond
  • Estimating the Benefits of Environmental Risk Reduction
  • Methods and Practice
• 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. Session 8
  • Transportation and Logistics
  • BCA, CEA, and Development
  • BCA and Water Development

View the full panel schedule online, now with links to download presentations.

Accommodations:

A hotel block has been reserved at the Washington Hilton Hotel, which is adjacent to the conference center. We are pleased to offer conference attendees a discounted rate of $159 per night. Please use the following link to reserve your room: Hilton Hotel Block. You may also call the hotel at 202.483.3000 and mention "Society for Benefit-Cost Analysis."

Download Lodging and Area Info for full details on hotel accommodations and the Dupont Circle area.

Call for Papers: Our call for papers and for chair/discussant volunteers has closed. 

Conference Planning Committee: David Weimer, Coordinator (University of Wisconsin), Lisa Robinson (Indepedent Consultant), Trudy Ann Cameron (University of Oregon), Joseph Cordes (The George Washington University), Clark Nardinelli (FDA), Kip Viscusi (Vanderbilt)