Valuation of Public Amenities and Differences in Quality of Life among Latin American Cities
Resumo
We use a life satisfaction approach for the valuation of public goods and amenities in Latin American cities. We apply a homogenous database of seventeen cities gathered by the Development Bank of Latin America CAF. Using the estimated monetary value for several public goods and neighborhood amenities we construct a city level quality of life index. We find that access to electricity, access to running water and security are the three largest valued urban characteristics in terms of life satisfaction and housing satisfaction. The monetary equivalent valuations represent more than duplicating the household per capita income. Lacking access to them has a tremendous impact on quality of life. We also show that although richer households have more access, public good and amenities are a source for reductions in quality of life disparities.
Assunto
Country / Region
Data
2016-11Cite this publication
Belongs to collection
Autor
Arrosa, María LauraGandelman, Néstor
Items Relacionados
Latin America in the global economy. Advancing market access
Given its commitment to the design and execution of a renewed development agenda for Latin America, CAF supports the region in its objective of achieving ...
RED 2004: Recovering growth in Latin America. Trade, productivity and social inclusion
This publication by CAF presents analyses and proposals geared towards resuming growth in the region, with special emphasis on the use of trade agreements ...
Decentralization and Access to Social Services in Colombia
A central claim in favor of decentralization is that it will improve access to public services, but few studies examine this question empirically. This ...