This dissertation addresses the problem of how to manage environmental resources to improve the prospects that resource allocation activities will make the greatest possible contribution to social well-being. The study had two major aims. One aim was to provide a rational philosophical framework for guiding resource evaluation and decisionmaking processes. The second - and principal - aim was to develop a reliable and practical method for evaluating those resource allocation proposals which are particularly controversial. As part of the philosophical framework, a modification of the social welfare function is specified which explicitly addresses the well-being of future generations. This form of the social welfare function is based on certain a priori premises, which are used to define the goal and objectives of resource allocation, and to identify appropriate evaluation criteria. These evaluation criteria are then used to devise a resource management strategy and to develop an environmental evaluation methodology to serve that strategy. The methodology consists of both formal and informal methods of evaluation, but special attention is given to developing a formal method of evaluation that is simple and inexpensive to apply, and therefore particularly suited for Third World conditions. The principal research objective was to develop a useful method for evaluating those resource allocation proposals which are especially controversial. The method that has been developed - the Panel Evaluation Method - utilizes a cost-benefit framework and employs procedures modeled on the Delphi Method. The Panel Evaluation Method features three techniques for accomplishing a formal evaluation of competing proposals: the Impact Identification Technique is used to identify and define all the impacts of concern; the Significance Measurement Technique is used to judge the relative significance of the impacts; and the Criteria Trade-off Technique is used to determine which proposal best satisfies specified evaluation criteria. The Panel Evaluation Method was applied to several case studies with positive results. For example, the central feature of the method - the Significance Measurement Technique - was found to be capable of producing reasonably replicable results, and so is considered to provide an acceptable way to determine whether the costs of a proposal would exceed its benefits. The method thus serves to extend the capabilities of both Environmental Impact Assessment and Cost-benefit Analysis, and to link these two widely-used tools for guiding resource allocation decisions into a more powerful and versatile decisionmaking tool.

Interactions between the transport market and other distorted markets, such as the labor market, can have a large impact on the overall welfare effect of a road pricing policy or a congestion charge. Many road pricing studies therefore try to incorporate effects from other distorted markets in the analysis. A difficulty when assessing the welfare effect of a future transport policy is also that many factors and parameters needed for the analysis is uncertain. This thesis contains three papers all studying different methodological approaches to analyzing the welfare effects of transport policies. The first two papers analyze the welfare effect of congestion pricing in distorted economies. The main contribution of the first paper is to analyze how the welfare effect of a congestion charge in a distorted economy depends on what assumptions we make regarding the tax system in the initial no-toll situation. A critical assumption in many cost-benefit analyses of congestion charges is that the whole population has a single value of time. The second paper studies the effect of a congestion charge in a population of commuters with a continuously distributed value of time. The main contribution of the paper, compared to previous literature, is that it studies the welfare effect and distributional impact of a congestion charge in a population with endogenous labor supply and heterogeneous value of time where mode-choice self-selection plays an important role. The third paper studies the climate benefit of an investment in high speed rail by calculating the magnitude of annual traffic emission reduction required to compensate for the annualized embedded emissions from the construction of the line. To account for uncertainties in underlying assumptions, a Monte Carlo simulation framework is used in the analysis. The paper finds that to be able to balance the annualized emissions from the construction, traffic volumes of more than 10 million annual one-way trips are usually required, and most of the traffic diverted from other transport modes must come from aviation. / QC 20110812

Städerna i Sverige växer och med det även de miljöproblem som urbaniserade områden medför. Sedumtak är en dagvattenhanteringslösning som medför ett flertal miljöfördelar, men det är fram till idag inte klargjort om anläggningen av sedumtak i Stockholmsområdet är samhällsekonomiskt försvarbart. Syftet med denna studie är därför att avgöra om anläggningen av sedumtak är samhällsekonomiskt lönsamt i Stockholmsområdet. En samhällsekonomisk konsekvensanalys har genomförts i Huddinge kommun där nettonuvärdet av ett sedumtak-projekt har sökts. Det finns lite värderingslitteratur gällande sedumtak och ett andra mål med uppsatsen har därför varit att undersöka om en trovärdig samhällsekonomisk konsekvensanalys kan genomföras i ett område där litteraturen är knapphändig.De identifierade nyttorna som sedumtak medför är minskad avrinning från tak, upptag av luftföroreningar och koldioxid, reduktion av buller, sänkt utomhustemperatur lokalt, ökat försäljningsvärde på bostäder samt förlängd livslängd på underliggande tak. Kostnaderna som uppstår är en ökad investeringskostnad, utsläpp av fosfor samt ökade underhållskostnader. Den största kostnaden är investeringskostnaden och den största nyttan är värdeökning av bostäder. Dessa nyttor och kostnader har så långt det är möjligt kvantifierats och värderats och beräkningar med nuvärdesmetoden visar på att anläggningen av sedumtak är samhällsekonomiskt lönsamt. Känslighetsanalysen visar på att resultatet är trovärdigt. Analysen har visat på att det är möjligt att genomföra en trovärdig samhällsekonomisk konsekvensanalys i ett område där litteraturen är knapphändig, förutsatt att målet är att avgöra om projektet är lönsamt eller inte och inte hur lönsamt det är. Det finns ett behov att utföra en liknande studie som denna, men som behandlar anläggningen av sedumtak i en större skala. Resultaten från detta examensarbete kan användas av beslutsfattare, planerare och andra tjänstemän inom samhällsbyggnadssektorn då det innefattar generell information om sedumtak samt en ekonomisk analys av investeringen. / The cities in Sweden are growing, and so too are the environmental problems that accompany development. Sedum roofs are stormwater management tools that come with many benefits, yet it is uncertain whether or not sedum roofs are in fact an advisable endeavor for society. This study aims to investigate whether sedum roofs in the Stockholm region are a profitable investment for society. A cost-benefit analysis (CBA) has been carried out in the municipality of Huddinge where the net present value of a sedum roof project is sought. The literature of green roof valuation is scarce, and a second aim is therefore to investigate if a reliable CBA can be conducted in an area where available data are limited. The identified benefits of sedum roofs are stormwater retention, air pollution and carbon dioxide removal, noise reduction, reduced outdoor temperature, increased sales value of apartments and increased life time of roof membrane. The costs that occur are an increased investment, spillage of phosphorus and increased maintenance costs. These costs and benefits have, as far as possible, been quantified and translated into monetary values. The greatest cost is that of investment, and the greatest benefit is the increased sales value of the apartments. Results from the CBA show that a sedum roof in the Stockholm region is a profitable investment for society. The sensitivity analysis indicates that these results are reliable. This study has shown that it is possible to conduct a reliable CBA in an area where the literature is scarce if the aim is to investigate whether a project is profitable for society or not, but not if the aim is to investigate how profitable a project is. A further study, in which a greater scale of sedum roof installation is considered, could be valuable. Decision makers, planners and operatives in city planning and the built environment can use the results from this master thesis in their work, as it provides general information about sedum roofs as well as an economic analysis of the investment.

High Speed Lines (HSL) in rail passenger services are regarded as one of the most significant projects in many countries comparing to other projects in the transportation area. According to the EU (European Council Directive 96/48/EC,2004) , high-speed lines are either new-built lines for speeds of 250km/h or greater, or in some cases upgraded traditional lines. At the beginning of 2008, there were 10,000 km of new HSL lines in operation, and by taking into account the upgraded conventional lines, in total, there were 20,000 km line in the world. The network is growing fast because of the demand for short travelling time and comfort isincreasing rapidly. Since HSL projects require a lot of capital, it is getting more important for governments and companies to estimate and to calculate the total costs and benefits of building, maintaining, and operating of HSL so that they can decide better and more reliable in choosing between projects. There are many parameters which affect the total costs and benefits of an HSL. The most important parameter is dimensional speed which has a great influence on other parameters. For example, tunnels need larger cross section for higher speed which increases construction costs. More important, higher speed also influences the number of passengers attracted from other modes of transport. Due to a large number of speed-dependant parameters, it is not a simple task to estimate an optimal dimensional speed by calculating the costs and benefits of an HSL manually. It is also difficult to do analysis for different speeds, as speed changes many other relevant parameters. As a matter of fact, there is a need for a computational model to calculate the cost-benefit for different speeds. Based on the computational model, it is possible to define different scenarios and compare them to each other to see what the potentially optimal speed would be for a new HSL project. Besides the optimal speed, it is also possible to analyze and find effects of two other important parameters, fare and frequency, by cost-benefit analysis (CBA). The probability model used in the calculation is based on an elasticity model, and input parameters are subject to flexibility to calibrate the model appropriately. Optimal high-speed line (OHSL) tool is developed to make the model accessible for the users.

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / In Peru, companies within the textile sector encounter problems such as a decrease in the contribution to an industrial gross domestic product from 10.6 to 7.5%, a decline in financial credits by about 0.7% p.a., and the direct competition of Central American countries across the textile chain. The finishing of fabrics shows the worst performance, with losses of a 38.8% variation in industrial production and a 7.5% growth rate per textile industrial sector. In this scenario, a strategic lean procurement model based on 5S and supplier approval was designed. The lean objective is to streamline workflow in the raw material warehouse that generates excessive lead time to production and leads to unplanned downtime. In addition, supplier approval boosts procurement efficiency and provides strategic value in assessing and planning raw materials to ensure efficient supply. The model is validated through a case study involving a textile small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), and drastic improvements are made. These improvements address the problem of unplanned downtime by reducing its incidence and making economic contributions to the company. / Revisión por pares

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(地球環境学) / 甲第19156号 / 地環博第131号 / 新制||地環||27(附属図書館) / 32107 / 京都大学大学院地球環境学舎地球環境学専攻 / (主査)准教授 森 晶寿, 教授 劉 徳強, 准教授 吉野 章 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Global Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DFAM

Unhealthy eating habits are one of the main causes of deteriorating health and premature death among Sweden’s population. Foods containing added sugars are common today and they rarely contain the nutrients that are essential for our bodies to stay healthy. Overconsuming sugar can lead to several diseases, including obesity and caries. Obesity in turn increases the risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, stroke, and diabetes type 2. The health effects of sugar are costly to society and a sugar tax on sugar-sweetened beverages is a possible financial instrument to improve public health and at the same time reduce healthcare costs. The cost savings and tax revenue can then be used to finance further implementations of strategies to improve the public health of the citizens of Sweden. The purpose of this essay is to investigate whether it is socio-economically viable to introduce an excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in Sweden. The drinks that would be affected by the tax are sodas, juices, energy drinks, sport drinks and ciders. A cost-benefit analysis is the economic method that will be used in this essay to investigate the issue. The possible costs and benefits from the implementation of a tax are identified and valued in monetary terms. In addition to this, a sensitivity analysis is carried out to test how sensitive the project is to differences in estimated costs and benefits. The calculations of costs and benefits are based on secondary data and statistics from previous studies as well as reports and statistics from Swedish authorities. The results of this essay show that the benefits of a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages had exceeded the costs, which is also showed by the cost-benefit ratio which is 1,47 and thus exceeds 1. The sensitivity analysis shows that the results are stable and credible since alternative values of costs and benefits also would lead to cost-benefit ratios exceeding 1. Based on the results, a recommendation is made to introduce an excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in Sweden, since the introduction is estimated to be socio-economically viable. / I denna uppsats utförs en kostnads-nyttoanalys för att undersöka om det är samhällsekonomiskt lönsamt att införa en punktskatt på sötad dryck i Sverige. De drycker som skulle påverkas av skatten är läsk, juice, saft, energidryck, sportdryck, cider samt måltidsdryck som är sötade med socker eller naturligt innehåller en hög sockerhalt. Socker har endast negativ påverkan på vår hälsa och överkonsumtion av socker är en orsak till ett flertal sjukdomar som är vanligt förekommande idag, bland annat övervikt och karies. Övervikt ökar i sin tur risken för att drabbas av fetma, hjärt- och kärlsjukdomar, cancer, stroke och diabetes typ 2. Hälsoeffekterna av socker är kostsamma för samhället och en sockerskatt på dryck är ett möjligt styrmedel för att förbättra folkhälsan och samtidigt minska dessa kostnader. Kostnadsbesparingarna kan därefter distribueras till viktiga ändamål, exempelvis för att finansiera ytterligare strategier för en bättre hälsa hos befolkningen. Resultaten i uppsatsen visar att fördelarna av en skatt på sötade drycker hade överstigit kostnaderna, vilket går att se då nyttokostnadskvoten som beräknas uppgår till 1,47 och alltså överstiger 1. Utöver kostnads-nyttoanalysen utförs även en känslighetsanalys för att testa hur känsligt resultatet är för förändringar av värdet för olika parametrar som kommer påverkas av införandet av skatten. Känslighetsanalysen visar att resultatet är stabilt och trovärdigt då även alternativa värden leder till en nyttokostnadskvot som överstiger 1. Resultatet används som grund för en rekommendation om att införa en punktskatt på sötade drycker i Sverige, då införandet är samhällsekonomiskt lönsamt.

Economic analysis and evaluation of sport events and sports infrastructure is a widely researched topic, especially when it comes to mega-sports events. As many of major and mega events require large amount of resources, governments and municipalities worldwide have to make decisions regarding support for the events. To determine whether and to what extent events should be subsidised with public resources, a thorough analysis of potential impacts of the event has to be conducted. Most of the studies within this field choose Economic Impact Analysis as a method, while many researchers point out a need for costbenefit analysis, as only a comprehensive analysis of costs and benefits for society can justify public subsidies for sport events and sports infrastructure. This paper presents a cost-benefit approach of sports venue evaluation. A cost-benefit analysis made in this paper, on the case of Swedish outdoor area of Lugnet, Falun, presents possible effects of sports infrastructure investments on social welfare. Analysis was aimed towards investments made prior to hosting 2015 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun. Presenting results for three alternative scenarios, this study compares different effects on social benefit. This research paper highlights areas that need to be investigated to ensure the better quality of the results, thus it can be beneficial for further studies of the topic. Results presented in this paper can also be beneficial for policy makers, as many of the potential welfare effects were described.

The subject of this thesis is ethical aspects of risk management. It is argued that a model for risk management needs to be developed that acknowledges several ethical aspects and most crucial among these, the individual’s right not to be unfairly exposed to risks. Article I takes as its starting point the demand frequently expressed in the risk literature for a consistent risk management. Such consistency is often assumed to be in accordance with some kind of cost-benefit analysis. It is maintained that such a model, here called the Standard Model, does not respect the rights of the individual. Two alternative models are outlined in order to better deal with this ethical weakness, the Model of Inviolable Rights and the Model of Procedural Justice. The arguments in the alternative models evolve around the separateness of individuals, rights and fair risk taking. It is claimed that the latter model, which focuses on a fair procedure, seems most fruitful to develop. Article II is a discussion of the NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) conflict, which is well known from situations of siting potentially risky facilities. Of special concern is to investigate what the ethical premises are behind the negative characterization of the NIMBY concept. It is argued that, contrary to the assumption that the total benefit should outweigh the individual’s cost, individuals in siting scenarios have rights not to be unfairly exposed to risks. Article III, which is co-authored with Professor Sven Ove Hansson, presents a three party model as a tool for ethical risk analysis. It is argued that ethical dimensions need to be acknowledged in the analysis of risks and that this is best done through a discussion of three parties that are involved in risk decisions – the risk-exposed, the beneficiary, and the decisionmaker. Seven crucial ethical questions are recognized and discussed regarding the relation between these parties. By using examples from the railway sector it is shown how the questions can be used to identify salient ethical features of risk management problems. / QC 20101116

Hydropower is a fundamental pillar in the Swedish energy system and accounts for a large part of the Swedish electricity production. The regulation power is also essential for balancing the grid load.  Fortum is one of the leading energy companies within hydropower and Klarälven is a river with high importance, where Fortum owns and operates nine powerplants. These power plants constitute a barrier for the wild salmonids in Klarälven, which need to migrate upstream to reach their spawning area. Since the 1930s, the spawning salmonids have been trapped and transported upstream by lorry. After the spawning period, the smolts and kelts, i.e. the juvenile and spawned salmonids, have to migrate downstream. Due to the lack of fishways, they are forced to pass the eight remaining power plants. This, together with predation, entails a high mortality rate. Two independently performed studies indicates on survival rates of 16 % and 30 %. To stabilize the wild salmonid population, the downstream survival must increase, and a proposed solution is to implement a downstream trap-and-transport solution. This trap implementation could be a step towards the environmental adaptation of hydropower and a part of the action plan proposed in June 2016, during the Agreement on Swedish energy policy. To find the most cost-beneficial environmental measure, a socio-economic assessment method can be used. A Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) is a commonly used socio-economic method, which evaluates the benefits and costs during the entire project lifetime. Energiforsk has, within the project FRAM-KLIV, developed a CBA tool that aims to simplify the socio-economic evaluation. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate whether the CBA tool can be used in future permit processes to prioritize between different project proposals to find the most beneficial environmental improvements. In order to evaluate the tool, it was to be applied on the trap-and-transport project in Edsforsen to evaluate the possibility of a socio-economic profitability. Also, the concepts and theory behind CBA was to be analysed and the suitability of translating environmental consequences into monetary values was to be evaluated. In the analysis of Edsforsen, 13 scenarios were developed. The first scenario served as a basis for the other scenarios, which were created as a sensitivity analysis. The result of the CBA showed a large socio-economic benefit and the most important parameter was identified as people’s willingness to pay for an increase of the wild salmonid stock in Klarälven. In the CBA, this parameter had a high uncertainty, as it was based on a survey performed for another project in another part of Sweden. It was found that in order for the socio-economic result to be positive, all households in Sweden must be willing to pay at least 35 SEK. As a complement to the CBA result, an evaluation regarding the marginal cost per fish was performed and an interval of 50-580 SEK per smolt was obtained. However, the calculations were based on several uncertainties and the interval should therefore be interpreted as a guideline rather than a precise result. It was concluded that in situations when a socio-economic analysis is required, and when it is possible to express consequences in monetary values, the method of CBA is appropriate. It is also a suitable methodology for evaluations of large projects, as it provides a comprehensible overview of the costs and the benefits. Despite the criticism directed towards CBA regarding uncertainties and its anthropogenic perspective, it could be concluded that using CBA as a socio-economic assessment method provides a perspicuous and quantitative result. Thus, the usage of CBA in prioritization processes of different environmental measures can be highly useful. Energiforsk’s CBA tool provides a framework with guidelines that can be highly useful and accelerate the analysis process. However, the performance of the tool version used in this thesis was not fully satisfactory due to a few malfunctions. The tool is still under development and it is likely that these errors will be adjusted in future versions. If the malfunctions in the tool would be adjusted, it could become useful for authorities, companies and other actors that wants to evaluate hydropower related environmental measures or when prioritizing between different project proposals to find the most beneficial environmental improvements in future permit processes.