Assignment: Prescribing Policies

Write 6 page paper in which you:

1. Determine the following before deciding a prescription: (a) maximize effectiveness at the least cost; (b) maximize effectiveness at a fixed cost of $10,000; (c) achieve a fixed-effectiveness level of 6,000 units of service at a fixed cost of $20,000; (d) maximize net benefits, assuming that each unit of service has a market price of $10; (e) maximize the ration of benefits to costs, assuming that each unit of service has a market price of $10.

2. Determine which of the two main programs (Program I and Program II) should be selected under each of these criteria. Justify your position.

3. Describe the conditions under which each criterion may be an adequate measure of the achievement of objectives.

4. Determine the assumptions that govern estimates of the value of time lost driving, indicating which assumptions (if any) are more tenable than others. Justify your position.

5. Determine the best way to estimate the value of time. Justify your position.

6. Determine the best way to estimate the cost of a gallon of gasoline. Justify your position.

7. Determine the more reliable method to estimate driving speeds and miles per gallon by using (a) official statistics on highway traffic from the Environmental Protection Agency or by using (b) engineering studies of the efficiency of gasoline engines by the Department of Energy. Discuss any consequences of using one source rather than another. Justify your position.

8. Estimate the value of a life saved. Justify your position.

9. Determine which policy is preferable, (a) the 55-mph speed limit or (b) the 65-mph limit. Justify your position.

10. Include at least two peer-reviewed references (no more than five years old) from material outside the textbook to support your views regarding the proposed U.S. response to the conflict in Bosnia.