Cost-benefit analyses offend against the notion that life is priceless
Their Gradgrindian logic is off-putting, but also mind-opening
THE 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.
This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Do-gooders and do-besters”
Finance & economics November 16th 2019
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- Tighter production targets have failed to lift the price of oil
- The Trump administration is trying to reforge carmakers’ supply chains
- The case for a falling dollar
- The improved mood in financial markets
- Some Chinese firms turn out to have lied about their state pedigree
- Stiff sentences for bank fraud capture Italy’s sour public mood
- How Jim Simons became the most successful investor of all time
From the November 16th 2019 edition
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Germany’s economy goes from bad to worse
Things may look brighter next year, but the relief will be short-lived
An economics Nobel for work on why nations succeed and fail
Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson tackled the most important question of all
Why investors should still avoid Chinese stocks
The debate about “uninvestibility” obscures something important
China’s property crisis claims more victims: companies
Unsold homes are contributing to a balance-sheet recession
Europe’s green trade restrictions are infuriating poor countries
Only the poorest can expect help to cushion the blow
How America learned to love tariffs
Protectionism hasn’t been this respectable for decades