L'échec des politiques structurelles de gestion des inondations à réduire les dommages a orienté les décideurs publics vers la restauration de zones de rétention et la réduction de la vulnérabilité. L'évaluation économique de ces politiques requiert une évaluation fine des dommages agricoles car ils contribuent fortement à déterminer leur efficacité. Or, les méthodes existantes n'intègrent que les pertes de récolte. Considérant que la vulnérabilité des exploitations agricoles dépend de la sensibilité et de la capacité à se remettre en route, entraînant respectivement des dommages directs et induits sur l'activité, nous proposons un modèle conceptuel de vulnérabilité permettant l'évaluation de l'ensemble de ces dommages. Trois profils d'exploitants sont définis selon la possibilité de mobiliser des ressources externes (main d'œuvre et matériel) pour la remise en route. Le profil Interne ne dispose d'aucune ressource externe contrairement aux profils Prestation et Solidarité. Après implémentation, le modèle a permis d'évaluer les dommages de trois exploitations types sur le Rhône aval avec une valorisation financière puis économique. Les dommages supportés par les exploitants de profil Interne sont plus élevés que ceux des deux autres profils. Les dommages évités par la mise en place de mesures de réduction de la vulnérabilité sur ces trois exploitations sont ensuite évalués. Nous montrons que les mesures sont plus efficaces et peuvent être mises en œuvre avec un ratio bénéfice-coût supérieur à un, pour les exploitations fréquemment inondées. Elles sont également plus efficaces pour les profils Interne, la mise en œuvre de la solidarité se dégageant comme une mesure intéressante pour toutes les exploitations. / The failure of structural flood control to mitigate economic losses has lead to a shift towards new policies: floodplain restoration and vulnerability reduction. The economic appraisal of these policies requires an in-depth evaluation of agricultural damage as they are key indicators to determine the efficiency of these policies. However, existing methods only consider harvest loss. We consider that farm vulnerability depends on sensitivity and ability to recover leading respectively to direct damage and induced damage on activity. Based on this, we propose a vulnerability model which allows evaluating the whole of these damages. Three farmer's profiles are defined depending on their ability to access to external resources (workforce and equipment) to recover after flooding. The “Internal” profile has no external resource as opposed to the “Service” and “Solidarity” profiles which can respectively rely on service providing and solidarity. The model is applied to evaluate damages on three farm types of the Rhône River downstream area with a financial and economic valuation. This reveals that damages endured by the profile “Internal” are much higher than those of the two other profiles. Then, avoided damages resulting from the implementation of mitigation measures to reduce vulnerability are evaluated. We prove that these measures are more efficient and can be implemented with Benefit-Cost ratio higher than one, only for the frequently flooded farms. Mitigation measures are also more efficient for the profile “Internal”. To organize solidarity between farms emerges as one of the most interesting measure for all farm types.

Cette thèse aborde la question de la fiabilité du temps de transport. L’étude de la fiabilité du temps de transport trouve ses sources dans le fait que, dans bien des situations, le temps de transport n’est pas certain, mais aléatoire. De nombreux évènements peuvent en effet modifier le temps de transport prévu par les opérateurs ou espéré par les usagers. Par ailleurs, lors de l’évaluation socioéconomique de projets d’investissement en infrastructure de transport, il peut exister un arbitrage entre gain de temps et gain de fiabilité. Or, comme la fiabilité est encore à l’heure actuelle, difficilement intégrable dans ce type d’évaluation, ces projets d’investissement voient leur rentabilité collective sous-estimée conduisant à leurs reports. Il émerge ainsi trois problématiques majeures relatives à l’étude de la fiabilité du temps de transport : sa mesure, sa valorisation monétaire (i.e. la disposition à payer des individus pour améliorer la fiabilité du temps de transport) et enfin, sa prise en compte dans les analyses coûts-avantages. Un premier chapitre permet d’adapter les mesures usuelles de la fiabilité du temps de transport appliquées dans le cadre du transport routier, aux modes de transport collectif (fer et aérien plus particulièrement). Nous proposons également une nouvelle mesure de la fiabilité, le Delay-at-Risk (DaR) inspiré de la littérature financière. Le DaR est une transposition de la mesure de la Value-at-Risk (V aR) à l’économie des transports. Cette mesure est plus utile du point de vue des usagers pour la planification des trajets avec correspondance que les autres mesures. Le deuxième chapitre a pour principal objectif de déterminer la disposition à payer des individus pour améliorer la fiabilité du temps de transport. Nous proposons un cadre théorique inspiré de la théorie de la décision en univers risqué à partir duquel nous définissons la préférence des individus à l’égard de la fiabilité (i.e. reliabilityproneness) ainsi que la prudence. Nous développons des nouvelles mesures de la fiabilité du temps de transport, exprimées comme des primes de risque : la reliability-premium et la V OR. La reliability-premium détermine le temps de transport maximum supplémentaire qu’un individu est prêt à accepter pour supprimer l’intégralité du risque sur le temps de transport. La V OR, quant à elle, se définit comme la disposition maximale à payer d’un individu pour supprimer l’intégralité du risque sur le temps de transport. Par ailleurs, nous établissons également les conséquences sur la valeur du temps (V TTS) et de la fiabilité (V OR), de la prise en considération de l’attitude à l’égard du risque sur le temps de transport des usagers (aversion et prudence). Le dernier chapitre de cette thèse a pour objet d’intégrer la fiabilité dans les évaluations socioéconomiques de projet d’investissement et plus particulièrement dans la détermination du surplus des usagers. Nous mettonsen exergue un effet de diffusion des gains de fiabilité par rapport aux gains de temps. Ainsi, nous proposons des recommandations quant à l’arbitrage entre les projets générateurs de gain de temps et de gain de fiabilité en fonction des valeurs monétaires du temps (V TTS) et de la fiabilité (V OR). / This thesis deals with the issue of travel time reliability. The study of travel time reliability emerges from the fact that in many situations, travel time is random. Many events can change the travel time forecasted by operators or expected by users. Moreover, a tradeoff may exist between time and reliability benefits when evaluating socio economic appraisal of transport infrastructure. However, since reliability is still difficult to integrate in this type of evaluation, investment projects’ collective profitability is underestimated and often postponed. Thus, three main issues of travel time reliability analysis emerge: measurement, monetary valuation and implication for cost benefit analysis. This thesis is organized in three chapters. The first chapter adapts the measure of travel time reliability typically used in the road transport context to the collective modes (rail and air, in particular). We also develop a new reliability measure: the Delay-at-Risk (DaR). DaR is an implementation of the Value-at-Risk (V aR) measure into the transport economic framework. The DaR seem to be relevant and understandable information for the users, especially to plan their travel and avoid missing their connections. The main objective of the second chapter is to define the users’ willingness to pay to improve travel time reliability. We present a theoretical framework based on decision theory under risk. We introduce the concept of reliability-proneness (i.e. travel time risk aversion) and prudence. We develop new measures of travel time reliability expressed as risk premium: the reliability-premium and V OR. The reliability-premium is the maximum amount of additional travel time that an individual is willing to accept to escape all the risk of travel time. The V OR is defined as the maximum monetary amount that an individual is willing to pay to escape all the risk of travel time. Furthermore, we also establish the link with attitudes towards risks of travel time (aversion and prudence) and the impact of the value of travel time (V TTS) and the value of reliability (V OR). The final chapter of this thesis integrates reliability in investments project’s socioeconomic appraisal. More particularly, it allows to determine users’ surplus valuation. We highlight a diffusion effect of reliability benefits with regard to travel time benefits. Thus, we propose recommendations regarding the tradeoff between projects that generate time benefits compared with reliability benefits, according to the monetary values of travel time(V TTS) and reliability (V OR).

Autogenous (AG) milling is utilised around the world for rst stage particle size reduction. The system exhibits highly non-linear behaviour in addition to being subject to unmeasured variability associated with most ore bodies. Anglo American Platinum aimed at improving online optimisation of the circuit by implementing industrial model predictive control to reduce system variability and continuously drive towards the optimal operating point within system constraints. A dimensional analysis of the circuit was conducted to explain the relationships between the various milling parameters discussed in the literature survey. The measured variables used in the analysis satis ed Buckingham's theorem, indicating that a complete subset of dimensionless groups were present and suitably able to describe process movement. These relationships were used as a reference point in determining the dynamic step response models between these variables necessary for model based control. The industrial dynamic matrix controller commissioned on the AG mill resulted in a 66 % reduction in power and a 40 % reduction in load. These are the main controlled variables of the mill. The controller also managed to reduce its objective function, e ective power utilisation, by 11 %. This stability improvement enabled a test campaign where the mill was controlled at various operating regions in order to establish the conditions conducive to the nest product size at a given mill feed rate. Moving the mill's operating region from the benchmarked plant to this optimal grind environment (at benchmarked variability) provided an estimated potential recovery increase of 0.27 % (absolute) due to better precious metal liberation. Stabilising the mill at this point with the model predictive controller resulted in a further 0.04 % potential recovery increase (absolute). The 0.31 % potential recovery increase is estimated at a monetary value of $93.1 million per annum. Copyright / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Chemical Engineering / unrestricted

Reducing ED wait times is a top health care priority for the Ontario government and hospitals in Ontario are incentivised to meet provincial ED wait time targets. In this study, we considered the costs and benefits associated with increasing the number of acute-care beds to reduce the time an admitted patient spends boarding in the ED. A shorter hospital LOS has often been cited as a potential benefit associated with shorter ED wait times. We derived a multivariable Cox regression model to examine this association. We found no significant association between ED boarding times and the time to discharge. Using a Markov model, we estimated an increased annual operating cost of $2.1m to meet the prescribed wait time targets. We concluded that increasing acute-care beds to reduce ED wait times would require significant funding from hospitals and would have no effect on total length of stay of hospitalized patients.

The Master Thesis is focused on potential consequences of toll implication for vehicles under 3,5 tonnes. The main goal of this paper is to evaluate these consequences and propose a recommendation to the government whether to imply the toll or not. Quantitative research methods in a form of questionnaire were used in order to estimate the potential consequences of 0,4 CZK per km toll for vehicles under 3,5 tonnes. Moreover, was analysed the publicly accessible data of transportation, car accidents and deaths on roads in case of the Czech Republic. Theoretical part is focused on the currently used system on highways, the history of highways, system used in European countries and aspects of cost-benefit analysis. Three frequently used highways were examined in the practical part of this paper. A numerous of calculations were used in order to quantify all possible costs of toll implication. Toll implication costs and additional costs that arise due to avoiding expensive highways by some drivers represented the main aim of these calculations. Conclusion of this paper sums up key points of this paper and points out possible negative consequences of toll implication.

The work describes problems of creating CBA. The theoretical part of the work defines the CBA, its drawbacks and strengths. An important part of it is a different view of economic orientations to the CBA. The work also deals with the current institutional situation that determines the obligation of drawing up the CBA for the selected projects seeking public support. The aim of this work is to evaluate the production of any obligation of the CBA. For this purpose, will be used as well interviews with experts.

This diploma work analytically examines data resources and conditions for the implementation of an electronic identifier for an insured person in the Czech Republic with relation to the Europian Union. It describes the concept of a single electronic identification method and the possibilities for the utilization of different technologies and extreme situations that may arise in connection with the deficiencies of the judicial code, that would clearly work manipulation with the personal data, its security and access to it. Here compared in this work are the merits and disadvantages of the implementation or adversely the non-implementation of the electronic identifier via a cost-benetfit analysis that gives an answer to the economic question about the implementation of the project, and also describes the benefits for each group of beneficiaries.

The goal of the diploma thesis Evaluation of the effectiveness of public projects Cost Benefit Analysis is an application of obtained theoretical knowledge from analysis of costs and benefits on specific public project the construction of water supply and sewerage system in the city Kamenice. The introduction of the theoretical part begins with the definition of public sector, public finance, public project and describes methods of evaluation of public projects. In the next chapter of the theoretical part is dedicated in detail process of Cost Benefit Analysis. The practical part of thesis is about applying Cost Benefit analysis on a specific project from area of environment Kamenice: Water supply and sewerage system. On this real project will be analyzed the costs and benefits and after this analyse it will be possible to say if applicant held a methodology of CBA and if project is beneficial for public. The methods used in developing the topic of this diploma thesis is a literary review, descriptions, analysis, interviews, results of empirical investigations and an imperical synthesis of learned facts.

Social discounting aims to compare the respective future consequences of differing courses of action for human well-being, and so to help decide on policies for matters as varied as climate change, transport and criminal justice. Social discounting is widely used, though some decisions are too trivial, or too urgent, for it to be justified. Even so, its pervasive use is at variance with scepticism about its moral foundations, and about whether the comparisons that it claims to make can be made at all. Debate has, however, concentrated on how, rather than on whether, social discounting should be done and the conditions upon which it must be based seem never to have been set out systematically. This thesis aims to fill that gap, by explaining the moral and practical conditions that must be met for social discounting to be justified. The conditions are demanding. It behoves policy makers to satisfy themselves more carefully than is now done that the conditions are met in respect of the decisions where use of social discounting is proposed, and to consider alternatives where one or more conditions is not met. The thesis takes for granted that human well-being counts morally. But social discounting requires that well-being is capable of being described through an objective list of desiderata and that some aspect of well-being is measurable, at least on a cardinal scale and inter-personally, implying commensurabilities amongst some of the things comprising or contributing to well-being. Some moral theories incorporate priorities, such as property rights or the interests of poor people. Priorities range from easy to meet to very difficult. Priorities of the latter type are inconsistent with social discounting, and are the basis for theories as varied as those of Nozick and Nussbaum. This thesis suggests that the theories consistent with social discounting may collectively be called ‘moderate welfarism’. Moderate welfarism allows room for priorities and other moral considerations provided only that the monetisable aspect of social well-being is morally important. Moderate welfarism is necessary but not sufficient for social discounting to be justifiable. Practical difficulties may make it incapable of implementation. One such difficulty is the well-known epistemic problem, but the thesis sets out nine such difficulties, each implying a condition that must be met if social discounting is to be capable of practical use. The thesis concludes that the moral and practical conditions that must be met for social discounting to be justified are demanding and, more speculatively, that some of the conditions are not widely understood leading to inappropriate use of the technique by governments.

The objective of the thesis is - with the aid of cost benefit analysis - evaluate economic impacts of planned amendment to Regulation of the Government No. 148/2006 Coll. On Health Protection from Adverse Effects of Noise and Vibration, namely based on the case of specific road track. Amendment to Regulation is aimed at making existing noise limits softer (to increase them) and thus to bring about savings in investment cost connected with anti-noise measures. The thesis intends to use a single case study to find out whether benefits resulting from price reduction in the process of road construction are higher than costs in the form of decrease of welfare caused by the higher noise exposition; alternatively at what period savings in costs connected with road construction equal to decrease in welfare (savings in costs are one-off, while increase in noise exposition and related drop in welfare are long-term). Estimated changes in welfare are based on analysis of secondary sources -- first of all on the study of traffic externalities in the Czech republic conducted by contingent valuation method. The actual core of the thesis is cost benefit analysis. Attention is paid also to broader discussion on experience in providing exceptions from noise limits in the Czech Republic.