Risky Transportation Choices and the Value of a Statistical Life

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
Year: 2017
Volume: 9
Issue: 1
Pages: 202-28

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

This paper exploits an unusual transportation setting to generate some of the first revealed preference value of a statistical life (VSL) estimates from a low-income setting. We estimate the trade-offs individuals are willing to make between mortality risk and cost as they travel to and from the international airport in Sierra Leone. The setting and original dataset allow us to address some typical omitted variable concerns, and also to compare VSL estimates for travelers from different countries, all facing the same choice situation. The average VSL estimate for African travelers in the sample is US$ 577,000 compared to US$ 924,000 for non-Africans.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejapp:v:9:y:2017:i:1:p:202-28
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25