{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/53173"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/53173","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"The economics of landslide mitigation strategies: public versus private decisions","abstract":"The economic rationale for public intervention in decisions regarding landslide hazard mitigation was examined through a cost-benefit analysis. A study area in Cincinnati, Ohio was used to test whether a public agency decision rule is suboptimal to a private decision rule in maximizing net benefits from landslide mitigation. A 1985 U.S. Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.) report on landslide mitigation in Cincinnati, Ohio formed the basis for the cost-benefit analysis. Expected gross benefits from mitigation were determined by multiplying the probability of a landslide by an estimate of the property damages. A landslide probability model developed by the U.S.G.S. was tested against data for a study area in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A Spearman rank correlation test, comparing actual and predicted landslide occurrence, indicated that the model is a good predictor and could be used to predict landslides in other areas of similar geology. Due to the poor quality of data on actual landslide damages, a regression equation was estimated to predict the actual damages resulting from a landslide in the Cincinnati study area. A cost-benefit analysis was performed for the Cincinnati study area using three different approaches to measuring property damages. The results of the analysis support the hypothesis. In the most extreme case, annualized net benefits from mitigation are equal to $2.1 million under the private decision rule compared with only $1.6 million under the public agency decision rule.","abstract_html":"The economic rationale for public intervention in decisions regarding landslide hazard mitigation was examined through a cost-benefit analysis. A study area in Cincinnati, Ohio was used to test whether a public agency decision rule is suboptimal to a private decision rule in maximizing net benefits from landslide mitigation. A 1985 U.S. Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.) report on landslide mitigation in Cincinnati, Ohio formed the basis for the cost-benefit analysis. Expected gross benefits from mitigation were determined by multiplying the probability of a landslide by an estimate of the property damages. A landslide probability model developed by the U.S.G.S. was tested against data for a study area in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A Spearman rank correlation test, comparing actual and predicted landslide occurrence, indicated that the model is a good predictor and could be used to predict landslides in other areas of similar geology. Due to the poor quality of data on actual landslide damages, a regression equation was estimated to predict the actual damages resulting from a landslide in the Cincinnati study area. A cost-benefit analysis was performed for the Cincinnati study area using three different approaches to measuring property damages. The results of the analysis support the hypothesis. In the most extreme case, annualized net benefits from mitigation are equal to $2.1 million under the private decision rule compared with only $1.6 million under the public agency decision rule.","abstract_has_math":true,"creators":["Kleitz, Christiana Camille"],"institution":"Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University","degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Economics","degree_department":"Economics","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1988,"date_issued":"1988","date_published":"1988","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:35Z","subjects":[],"languages":["en_US"],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10919/53173","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Economics"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kleitz, Christiana Camille"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2015-06-23T19:09:19Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2015-06-23T19:09:19Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["1988"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.dcmitype","label":"Dc Type Dcmitype","values":["Text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Economics"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en_US"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/53173"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The economic rationale for public intervention in decisions regarding landslide hazard mitigation was examined through a cost-benefit analysis. A study area in Cincinnati, Ohio was used to test whether a public agency decision rule is suboptimal to a private decision rule in maximizing net benefits from landslide mitigation. A 1985 U.S. Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.) report on landslide mitigation in Cincinnati, Ohio formed the basis for the cost-benefit analysis. Expected gross benefits from mitigation were determined by multiplying the probability of a landslide by an estimate of the property damages. A landslide probability model developed by the U.S.G.S. was tested against data for a study area in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A Spearman rank correlation test, comparing actual and predicted landslide occurrence, indicated that the model is a good predictor and could be used to predict landslides in other areas of similar geology. Due to the poor quality of data on actual landslide damages, a regression equation was estimated to predict the actual damages resulting from a landslide in the Cincinnati study area. A cost-benefit analysis was performed for the Cincinnati study area using three different approaches to measuring property damages. The results of the analysis support the hypothesis. In the most extreme case, annualized net benefits from mitigation are equal to $2.1 million under the private decision rule compared with only $1.6 million under the public agency decision rule."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Arts"]},{"key":"dc:format.mimetype","label":"Dc Format Mimetype","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The economics of landslide mitigation strategies: public versus private decisions"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.department":["Economics"],"dc:creator":["Kleitz, Christiana Camille"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2015-06-23T19:09:19Z"],"dc:date.available":["2015-06-23T19:09:19Z"],"dc:date.issued":["1988"],"dc:description.abstract":["The economic rationale for public intervention in decisions regarding landslide hazard mitigation was examined through a cost-benefit analysis. A study area in Cincinnati, Ohio was used to test whether a public agency decision rule is suboptimal to a private decision rule in maximizing net benefits from landslide mitigation. A 1985 U.S. Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.) report on landslide mitigation in Cincinnati, Ohio formed the basis for the cost-benefit analysis. Expected gross benefits from mitigation were determined by multiplying the probability of a landslide by an estimate of the property damages. A landslide probability model developed by the U.S.G.S. was tested against data for a study area in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A Spearman rank correlation test, comparing actual and predicted landslide occurrence, indicated that the model is a good predictor and could be used to predict landslides in other areas of similar geology. Due to the poor quality of data on actual landslide damages, a regression equation was estimated to predict the actual damages resulting from a landslide in the Cincinnati study area. A cost-benefit analysis was performed for the Cincinnati study area using three different approaches to measuring property damages. The results of the analysis support the hypothesis. In the most extreme case, annualized net benefits from mitigation are equal to $2.1 million under the private decision rule compared with only $1.6 million under the public agency decision rule."],"dc:description.degree":["Master of Arts"],"dc:format.mimetype":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/53173"],"dc:language.iso":["en_US"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:title":["The economics of landslide mitigation strategies: public versus private decisions"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"dc:type.dcmitype":["Text"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Economics"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:35Z"}