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| Obin Angbo and François Gardes |
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| ''Opportunity cost of time and value of human life in Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast'' |
| ( 2025, Vol. 45 No.4 ) |
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| The monetary valuation of human life is both controversial and complex,
giving rise to passionate debate and profound ethical dilemmas. This
article uses a new method to measure the value of human life based on
a marginal valuation of the individual's available time over her life cycle.
The results of an empirical application carried out in two African countries
on microeconomic data reveal a significant divergence in the valuation of
human life compared to accumulated GDP per capita. This finding calls
into question the usual ethical considerations and social equity thesis and
shows that this individual estimation of the value of human life may be
an interesting indicator for public choice. |
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| Keywords: Opportunity cost of time, pseudo-panel, inter-temporal substitution
rate, value of human life, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso |
JEL: D1 - Household Behavior: General
J3 - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs: General |
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| Manuscript Received : Oct 27 2024 | | Manuscript Accepted : Dec 30 2025 |
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