Research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world
Part of the Benefit-Cost Analysis in the Real World: Tales from the Trenches series, hosted by the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government.
Homeland Security: Benefit-Cost Analysis without Estimating Benefits
Jennifer Baxter, Industrial Economics, Incorporated
Part of the Benefit-Cost Analysis in the Real World: Tales from the Trenches series, hosted by the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government.
Since its establishment in 2002, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has faced the challenge of assessing the economic benefit of new regulations designed to reduce the risk of successful terrorist attacks so that those benefits can be weighed against the costs of implementing the regulations. Estimating and assigning monetary values to changes in terrorism risk is difficult for several reasons, including the challenges associated with translating interventions into quantifiable risk reductions, the lack of market data to monetize the value individuals place on these risk reductions, and the classified nature of much of the existing terrorism risk information. This presentation will describe current efforts by DHS agencies to assess the benefits of their regulations using case studies, and ideas for future improvements.
Presenter:
Jennifer R. Baxter is a Principal at Industrial Economics, Incorporated (IEc), an economic and environmental consulting firm located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She has over 17 years of experience as a consultant and specializes in designing and conducting economic analyses of complex and innovative federal regulatory programs. Her current work focuses on measuring the costs and benefits of regulations designed to improve homeland security, public health and safety, and the recovery of endangered species. Ms. Baxter’s significant expertise in the area of regulatory analysis is reflected in her work for multiple federal agencies on state-of-the-art methods and guidance development. Ms. Baxter holds a B.A. degree in Environmental Science from Boston University and a M.E.S. degree in Environmental Policy and Management from Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Contact:
Lisa A. Robinson, M-RCBG Senior Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School, lisa_robinson@hks.harvard.edu
Location:
Hauser Conference Room, Belfer Building lobby level (B-L-4)