Framework for Conducting Benefit-Cost Analyses of Investments in Hydro-Meteorological Systems
The whitepaper is organized as follows: section two provides an overview of the types of benefits associated with hydromet investments, the process by which the benefits are generated, and their expected development impacts; section three explains the rationale for public sector investment in hydromet systems and involvement by the World Bank; section four discusses the wide range of factors that influence the magnitude of benefits generated by hydromet systems, in particular the value of weather and climate forecasts. The discussion is supplemented by a stylized example presented in annex one; section five provides an overview of approaches that have been used to estimate the value of improved forecasts of routine climate to specific user groups or sectors of an economy; section six then turns to an overview of approaches that have been used to estimate the net benefits of hydromet investments at the country level. The primary benefits estimated by these approaches are those associated with improved forecasts of extreme meteorological events; section seven contains a discussion of the costs of hydromet investments, with particular attention given to the challenges faced in estimating these costs in developing countries; section eight lays out a framework for estimating the expected net benefits of hydromet investments at a country level. The framework builds on existing approaches and is designed to be used with data available from secondary sources. This section will be of central interest to those tasked with conducting economic evaluations of hydromet investments; section nine describes data that can be collected to conduct interim and ex-post evaluations of hydromet investments that supplement and refine ex-ante evaluations of these investments; and section ten offers conclusions and recommendations.
Summary: | The whitepaper is organized as follows:
section two provides an overview of the types of benefits
associated with hydromet investments, the process by which
the benefits are generated, and their expected development
impacts; section three explains the rationale for public
sector investment in hydromet systems and involvement by the
World Bank; section four discusses the wide range of factors
that influence the magnitude of benefits generated by
hydromet systems, in particular the value of weather and
climate forecasts. The discussion is supplemented by a
stylized example presented in annex one; section five
provides an overview of approaches that have been used to
estimate the value of improved forecasts of routine climate
to specific user groups or sectors of an economy; section
six then turns to an overview of approaches that have been
used to estimate the net benefits of hydromet investments at
the country level. The primary benefits estimated by these
approaches are those associated with improved forecasts of
extreme meteorological events; section seven contains a
discussion of the costs of hydromet investments, with
particular attention given to the challenges faced in
estimating these costs in developing countries; section
eight lays out a framework for estimating the expected net
benefits of hydromet investments at a country level. The
framework builds on existing approaches and is designed to
be used with data available from secondary sources. This
section will be of central interest to those tasked with
conducting economic evaluations of hydromet investments;
section nine describes data that can be collected to conduct
interim and ex-post evaluations of hydromet investments that
supplement and refine ex-ante evaluations of these
investments; and section ten offers conclusions and recommendations. |
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