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Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

1996

Social and Behavioral Sciences

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Law

An Economic Analysis Of The Death Penalty, Martin Kasten Jan 1996

An Economic Analysis Of The Death Penalty, Martin Kasten

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

From an economic perspective, society should only use capital punishment if the marginal benefits outweigh the marginal costs. In the course of analyzing the economic efficiency of capital punishment, and before providing any recommendations, both the benefits and costs of the death penalty must be evaluated. Since the death penalty has been implemented for centuries, many people believe its benefits outweigh its costs. The evaluation of benefits in Part II will be compared to the costs assessed in Part III to determine if this long held assertion is correct.


Environmental Injustice: Evidence And Economic Implications, Heidi Y. Willers Jan 1996

Environmental Injustice: Evidence And Economic Implications, Heidi Y. Willers

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

Some economic analyses find evidence of environmental injustice--minorities and/or low-income persons are exposed to environmental dangers (locally undesirable land uses, or LULUs) more than their non-minority or more affluent counterparts. Such inefficient allocations result from a violation of perfect property rights. This paper does not determine efficient levels of various environmental dangers, but rather examines and compares several studies in an effort to find a consensus among researchers. No consensus emerges, as differences in research techniques prevent consistent results from being found. Future research must have well-defined methodologies before it can be effectively used by policy makers.