Suppose That the Cost of Installing an Overhead Pedestrian Walkway

question 69

Multiple Choice

Suppose that the cost of installing an overhead pedestrian walkway in a college town is $150,000. The walkway is expected to reduce the risk of fatality by 1.5 percent, and the cost of a human life is estimated at $10 million. The town should

• A)install the walkway because the estimated benefit is twice the cost.
• B)be indifferent between installing and not installing the walkway because the estimated benefit equals the cost.
• C)not install the walkway, since the cost is twice the estimated benefit.
• D)install the walkway, since the cost of even a single life is too great not to take action.

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Definitions:

Asset Allocation

Allocating a portfolio across broad asset classes such as stocks versus bonds.

Risk-Free Asset

An investment with a guaranteed return and no risk of loss, often exemplified by government bonds of stable countries.

Risky Asset

An investment that holds some risk of losing value, as opposed to a guaranteed or risk-free asset, offering potentially higher rewards in exchange for higher risk.

Expected Return

The weighted average of the probable returns of an investment, where the weights correspond to the probability of each outcome.