Growing the Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis

The Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis was launched in 2010 by the Society for Benefit-Cost Analysis with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Beginning in 2015, the Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis (JBCA) will be published by Cambridge University Press (Cambridge Press). Progression to a substantially more prestigious and experienced publisher provides opportunities. We are pleased to submit a proposal to take advantage of working with a premier publisher to grow the JBCA over the next three years to broaden and deepen the influence of benefit-cost analysis (BCA) on economic evaluation and social policy. Our interest encompasses analysis of national, state, and, eventually international policies as well. We propose ways in which additional, direct funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation (MacArthur Foundation) will enable the JBCA to take full advantage of these opportunities. These activities cover all aspects of the journal’s operations, including (1) soliciting high quality submissions from scholars and professionals working in a variety of policy areas; (2) ensuring timely peer review by recognized experts that improves the quality of the analysis; and (3) disseminating the results widely to broad scholarly and policy audiences.