ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø Faculty Research Working Paper Series
ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø Working Paper No. RWP21-009
March 2021
Abstract
This paper considers the treatment of co-benefits in benefit-cost analysis of federal air quality
regulations. Using a comprehensive data set on all major Clean Air Act rules issued by the Environmental
Protection Agency over the period 1997-2019, we show that (1) co-benefits make up a significant share
of the monetized benefits; (2) among the categories of co-benefits, those associated with reductions in
fine particulate matter are the most significant; and (3) co-benefits have been pivotal to the quantified
net benefit calculation in nearly half of cases. Motivated by these trends, we develop a simple
conceptual framework that illustrates a critical point: co-benefits are simply a semantic category of
benefits that should be included in benefit-cost analyses. We also address common concerns about
whether the inclusion of co-benefits is problematic because of alternative regulatory approaches that
may be more cost-effective and the possibility for double counting.
Citation
Aldy, Joseph, Matthew Kotchen, Mary Evans, Meredith Fowlie, Arik Levinson, and Karen Palmer. "Co-Benefits and Regulatory Impact Analysis: Theory and Evidence from Federal Air Quality Regulations." ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP21-009, March 2021.