Assessing Distribution and Equity

SBCA Professional Development Workshop
Date & Time TBD

Most benefit-cost analysis texts and guidance documents emphasize the need to supplement conventional benefit-cost analysis with information on how costs, benefits, and net benefits are distributed across members of advantaged and disadvantaged groups. Yet several reviews find that such analyses are rarely conducted, in part because of the difficulties inherent in determining who bears the costs and who receives the benefits. In addition, such analyses raise challenging normative questions about how to measure the equity of the impacts. Understanding approaches for conducting these analyses and interpreting the results has become increasingly important, given rising awareness of the difficulties of addressing existing inequities.

This workshop brings together leading experts to discuss related topics. We will begin by providing a general overview of current practices, including barriers to and opportunities for improving the conduct of distributional analysis. We will then discuss the theoretical and conceptual framework for these analyses, including alternative measures of relative disadvantage, and their practical application.

We will illustrate these concepts and approaches through presentations and case studies and provide substantial opportunities for questions and discussion. The workshop is targeted on those interested in conducting these analyses as well as those interested in better understanding the strengths and limitations of analyses they review. Upon completion, attendees will have a clearer understanding of the theory and practice of distributional analysis.

Instructors

Lisa A. Robinson (organizer) is Deputy Director and Senior Research Scientist, Center for Health Decision Science, and Core Faculty, Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her work focuses on improving approaches for conducting benefit-cost analysis, including distributional equity. She has led numerous assessments of diverse policies and related guidance documents. She is a past President and Fellow of the Society for Benefit-Cost Analysis.