K2
Bridging the gap between social impact and cost-benefit analysis
Cost-benefit analysis generally assesses whether the total benefits of a measure exceed its costs, without considering how benefits and costs are distributed among different groups. This is a significant limitation in public transport, where investments and policies may affect people’s accessibility, finances, employment opportunities and social participation in different ways. The project will examine whether social impacts can be integrated into conventional or distributionally weighted cost-benefit analysis. It aims to establish which impacts can be valued and weighted, the methodological and ethical problems involved, and when a separate distributional analysis provides a better basis for decisions.