Cost-benefit analyses offend against the notion that life is priceless
Nov 16th 2019THE AIRLESS nooks under a man’s foreskin are a cosy spot for microbes. These can inflame the surrounding skin, helping viruses such as HIV to spread. In places where the disease is common and treatment is patchy, removing foreskins can be a cost-effective way to fight it. In parts of Africa, the benefits of circumcising adolescents can outweigh the costs by about 10 to 1, according to the Copenhagen Consensus Centre (CCC), a think-tank. The ratio rises above 40 to 1 in the worst-hit countries.Circumcision is not an obvious vote-winner. But policymakers cannot afford to be squeamish in the fight against one of history’s greatest killers. Nor should they flinch at another off-putting, but essential, step in the war against poverty and disease: putting a dollar value on human life. Without one, it is impossible to compare efforts to vanquish HIV, malaria or diarrhoea with other outlays, such as building railways, electrifying villages, conserving mangroves or educating preschoolers. Quantifying the worth of all these good causes is the aim of a new CCC report evaluating 27 policies to promote African health and prosperity.Choose us for news analysis that respects your time and intelligenceSubscribe to The EconomistWe filter out the noise of the daily news cycle and analyse the trends that matterWe give you rigorous, deeply researched and fact-checked journalism. That’s why Americans named us their most trusted news source in 2017Available wherever you are—in print, digital and, uniquely, in audio, fully narrated by professional broadcastersThis website adheres to all nine of NewsGuard‘s standards of credibility and transparency.ORContinue reading this articleRegister with an email address