This is a collection of theoretical papers, including contributions by Partha Dasgupta and three Nobel prize-winning economists: Kenneth Arrow, Amartya Sen, and Joseph Stiglitz. Originally published in 1982.

Robert C. Lind, Kenneth J. Arrow, Gordon R. Corey, Partha Dasgupta, Amartya K. Sen, Thomas Staufer, Joseph E. Stigiltz, J.A. Stockfisch

1: Introduction; 2: A Primer on the Major Issues Relating to the Discount Rate for Evaluating National Energy Options; 3: A Reader's Guide to the Papers in this Volume; 4: The Rate of Discount on Public Investments with Imperfect Capital Markets; Comment; Comment; 5: The Rate of Discount for Benefit-Cost Analysis and the Theory of the Second Best; 6: Risk Measurement of Public Projects; 6a: Comment; 7: Measuring the Social Rate of Return on Private Investment; 8: Resource Depletion, Research and Development, and the Social Rate of Discount; Comment; Comment; Comment; Comment; 9: Approaches to the Choice of Discount Rates for Social Benefit-Cost Analysis; Comment; Comment; Comment; 10: Plant Investment Decision Making in the Electric Power Industry; 10a: Comment; 11: The Social Efficiency of Electric Utility Decision Criteria; 12: The Rate of Discount and the Application of Social Benefit-Cost Analysis in the Context of Energy Policy Decisions