Is meta-analysis a Noah's ark for non-market valuation?

Abstract

This paper describes meta-analytical methods as they have been applied to non-market valuation research. These studies have been used to review and synthesize literature and, more recently, in benefit transfer. This second use imposes a higher standard on the consistency in economic concepts being summarized and in the resources included in a meta-analysis. To meet this need, the paper proposes and illustrates a structural framework using a generalized method of moments estimator to estimate the parameters of a preference function with the benefits estimates usually encountered in meta-analytic summaries