Euthanizing the value of a statistical life

Abstract

For economists, the term “value of a statistical life” (VSL) is an eminently reasonable label for the concept it describes. However, outside our discipline, this terminology has been singularly unhelpful. This article argues that there could be a considerable reduction in wasted resources if economists were to change this terminology to something less incendiary, and that this could help to increase the acceptance of benefit-cost analysis as an input to the decision-making process for environmental, health, and safety regulations. I propose that we change our standard unit of measurement and replace the VSL terminology with “willingness to swap (WTS) alternative goods and services for a microrisk reduction in the chance of sudden death.” Analogous terminology would be used for other types of risks to life and health. I also argue that economists’ continual pursuit of a single number for “the” VSL is misguided and can be misleading, especially if individual WTS is correlated with the magnitudes of the risk changes. Such “one-size-fits-all” VSLs also hinder our ability to understand the distributional consequences of risk-reducing policies or interventions. Estimates of aggregate risk reduction benefits need to reflect the particular type of risk reduction as well as the characteristics of the affected populations.