Resources Repository
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ArticlePublication 2022Vaccinations versus Lockdowns to Prevent COVID-19 Mortality
This analysis estimated the costs associated with preventing Covid-19 deaths by vaccinations versus lockdowns. Publicly …
This analysis estimated the costs associated with preventing Covid-19 deaths by vaccinations versus lockdowns. Publicly available datasets from the Israeli Ministry of Health were used to model the parameters of the pandemic in Israel. The Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker was used for quantitative data on government policies. Data on the Israeli economy were taken from the Central Bureau of Statistics. The models demonstrate that the first lockdown prevented 1022 COVID-19 deaths at the cost…
Decision Theory | Decision Analysis | Costing Methods | Health Outcomes | Policy/Regulation | State-Transition | Infectious Diseases | Economics/Finance | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Middle East & North Africa -
Working PaperPublication 2018Valuing Nonfatal Health Risk Reductions
This paper explores approaches for valuing nonfatal risk reductions associated with policy choices in low- …
This paper explores approaches for valuing nonfatal risk reductions associated with policy choices in low- and middle-income countries. The approach for valuation ideally would be based on estimates of individuals’ willingness to pay for changes in their own risks. However, high quality valuation research is not available for many nonfatal conditions even in high-income settings. Typically, two approaches are used either alone or in combination as rough proxies. The first involves applying an estimate of…
Preferences/Values | Decision Analysis | Health Outcomes | Policy/Regulation | Priority Setting/Ethics | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Social Determinants | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Global | Critical Thinking/Analysis -
Working PaperPublication 2024Economic Evaluation Primer
Economic evaluation is a powerful tool, encouraging the systematic collection and assessment of the evidence …
Economic evaluation is a powerful tool, encouraging the systematic collection and assessment of the evidence needed to support sound policy decisions. In low- and middle-income countries, where resources are especially scarce and needs are very great, such decisions are exceptionally difficult. In these settings, economic evaluation can be particularly useful in determining how to best improve health and welfare. Typically, cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is used to prioritize interventions within the health care sector. This approach…
Costing Methods | Health Outcomes | Policy/Regulation | Priority Setting/Ethics | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Global -
ArticlePublication 2021Racial and Ethnic Inequities in the Early Distribution of U.S. COVID-19 Testing Sites and Mortality
In 2020, U.S. COVID-19 testing sites were pivotal not just for diagnosis but also to …
In 2020, U.S. COVID-19 testing sites were pivotal not just for diagnosis but also to provide data that would contribute to understanding transmission. This research explored how these sites were distributed in relation to racial and ethnic demographics and its connection to observed disparities in COVID-19 outcomes. Data from mid-April to late May 2020 revealed that testing sites were not equally distributed among racial groups. Specifically, there was an overrepresentation of testing sites in areas…
Test Performance | Health Outcomes | Policy/Regulation | Infectious Diseases | Social Determinants | Culture/Society | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | North America -
ArticlePublication 2020Premature Deaths, Statistical Lives, and Years of Life
This article clarifies some misconceptions about mortality risk and economic valuation. The mortality effects of …
This article clarifies some misconceptions about mortality risk and economic valuation. The mortality effects of exposure to environmental hazards such as air pollution are often described by the estimated number of “premature deaths” and the economic value of an exposure reduction as the number of “statistical lives saved” multiplied by the “value per statistical life.” These terms can be misleading because the number of deaths advanced by exposure cannot be determined from mortality data; it…
Preferences/Values | Health Outcomes | Policy/Regulation | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Environmental Health | College | Graduate | Critical Thinking/Analysis -
ArticlePublication 2016Health Gains & Financial Protection from Ethiopian Mental Health Strategy: An ECEA
Using the extended cost-effectiveness analysis (ECEA), this paper evaluates the impacts of fully publicly financed …
Using the extended cost-effectiveness analysis (ECEA), this paper evaluates the impacts of fully publicly financed care for depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and epilepsy as part of the mental and neurological package (MN) of the National Mental Health Strategy in Ethiopia. The following outcomes were estimated disaggregated across wealth quintiles: (1) healthy-life-years (HALYs) gained; (2) household out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures averted (3) expected financial risk protection (FRP); and (4) productivity impact. The MN package is expected to…
Costing Methods | Health Outcomes | Mental Health | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa -
ArticlePublication 2016Estimating Benefits of Regulations Affecting Addictive Goods
The question of how to evaluate lost consumer surplus in benefit−cost analyses is controversial. There …
The question of how to evaluate lost consumer surplus in benefit−cost analyses is controversial. There are clear health benefits of regulations that curb consumption of goods with health risks, such as tobacco products and foods high in fats, calories, sugar, and sodium. Yet, if regulations cause consumers to give up goods they like, the health benefits they experience may be offset by some utility loss, which benefit−cost analyses of regulations need to take into account.…
Preferences/Values | Decision Theory | Mental Health | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2016Measuring Benefits of Opioid Misuse Treatment: HRQOL of Opioid-Dependent Individuals and Spouses
This study sought to understand how the general public views the quality of life effects …
This study sought to understand how the general public views the quality of life effects of opioid misuse and opioid use disorder on an individual and his/her spouse, measured in terms used in economic evaluations. The study design was a cross-sectional internet survey of a US population-representative respondent panel conducted December 2013-January 2014, with a total of 2054 randomly selected adults, of whom 51.1% were male. The mean individual utility ranged from 0.574 for active injection…
Preferences/Values | Health Outcomes | Mental Health | Chronic Disease/Risk | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | North America -
Working PaperPublication 2015Benefit-Cost Analysis and the Cities
This paper provides a short introduction to the use of benefit-cost analysis to assess interventions …
This paper provides a short introduction to the use of benefit-cost analysis to assess interventions undertaken at the city or municipal level. It introduces the concepts that underlie the conduct of benefit-cost analysis, describes the major analytic components, and discusses how to tailor the analysis to the characteristics of the policy and the resources available. It concludes with a list of references for those interested in learning more.
Preferences/Values | Decision Analysis | Policy/Regulation | Priority Setting/Ethics | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Social Determinants | Environmental Health | Climate/Environment | Culture/Society | Economics/Finance | Government/Law | North America | Critical Thinking/Analysis