Death and the calculation of hedonic damages – Preliminary draft for a June 1-2 workshop at the University of Chicago –

Publication type

Conference Paper

Series Number

Series

June 1-2, 2007 Workshop at the University of Chicago, Preliminary Draft

Authors

Publication date

June 1, 2007

Abstract:

This paper studies the mental distress caused by bereavement. We find that the largest emotional losses are from the death of a spouse; the second-worst in severity are the losses from the death of a child; third-worst is the death of a parent. The paper demonstrates how happiness equations might be used in tort cases to calculate hedonic damages. We examine alternative well-being variables, discuss adaptation, and suggest a procedure for correcting for the endogeneity of income.

Subjects

Notes

draft paper

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