@techreport{NBERw7166,
 title = "The Benefits of Reducing Gun Violence:  Evidence from Contingent-Valuation Survey Data",
 author = "Jens Ludwig and Philip J. Cook",
 institution = "National Bureau of Economic Research",
 type = "Working Paper",
 series = "Working Paper Series",
 number = "7166",
 year = "1999",
 month = "June",
 URL = "http://www.nber.org/papers/w7166",
 abstract = {This paper presents the first attempt to estimate the benefits of reducing crime using the contingent-valuation (CV) method.  We focus on gun violence, a crime of growing policy concern in America.  Our data come from a national survey in which we ask respondents referendum-type questions that elicit their willingness-to-pay (WTP) to reduce gun violence by 30 percent. We estimate that the public's WTP to reduce gun violence by 30 percent equals $23.8 billion, or $750,000 per injury.  Our estimate implies a statistical value of life ($4.05 to $6.25 million) that is quite consistent with those derived from other methods.},
}