Resources Repository
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GuidelinesPublication 2017Guidelines for Regulatory Impact Analysis: A Primer
This “Frequently Asked Question” style document gives a brief overview of Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA), …
This “Frequently Asked Question” style document gives a brief overview of Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA), a method used by the US government to assess the consequences of proposed policies and their alternatives. The document is aimed at those who are new to the topic. RIAs apply a framework for collecting, organizing, and evaluating data. They help ensure that regulatory actions are justified and necessary to achieve social goals, and that these actions are implemented in the…
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Government/Law | North America | Business/Industry -
Lesson/ModuleWeb Portal, Teaching Resource 2017Translating Science Into Policy: The Role of Decision Science
This module introduces the basic techniques of “decision science” that are used in policy making. …
This module introduces the basic techniques of “decision science” that are used in policy making. The materials are mainly prescriptive, focusing on how to make good decisions, but also include examples of the systematic ways that people make poor decisions. The module: (1) surveys the meanings of utility; (2) examines decision making in conditions where risk is not an issue; (3) examines decision making in conditions where risk is an issue because the likelihood of…
Decision Analysis | Government/Law | North America | Decision Psychology | Preferences/Values | Infectious Diseases | Policy/Regulation | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Global | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership | Policy Translation -
Lesson/ModuleWeb Portal, Teaching Resource 2016Scientific Evidence of Factual Causation
This module examines three scientific areas that provide evidence bearing on causation in the “toxic …
This module examines three scientific areas that provide evidence bearing on causation in the “toxic tort” or environmental disease context: epidemiology, toxicology, and genetics. These scientific disciplines are used in civil lawsuits and in regulatory proceedings in which causation or risk is an issue. The module is appropriate for non-scientist law students as well as others interested in learning the science of toxic tort causation, including practicing attorneys, judges, and public policy and public health…
Risk Analysis | Government/Law | North America | Evidence Synthesis | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Environmental Health | Policy/Regulation | Climate/Environment | Food/Agriculture | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Global | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Quantitative Literacy -
ReportPublication 2016Modeling to Inform Strategies to Improve Population Health
This workshop report summarizes a workshop convened by the Institute of Medicine to explore the potential …
This workshop report summarizes a workshop convened by the Institute of Medicine to explore the potential uses of simulation and other types of modeling for improving health. Participants worked to identify how modeling could inform population health decision making (selecting and refining potential strategies, ranging from interventions to investments) based on lessons learned from models that have been, or have not been, used successfully, opportunities and barriers to incorporating models into decision making, and data needs and…
Decision Analysis | Government/Law | North America | Mathematical Models | State-Transition | Microsimulation | Dynamic Simulation | Chronic Disease/Risk | Environmental Health | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Business/Industry | Climate/Environment | Health/Medicine -
Lesson/ModuleWeb Portal, Teaching Resource 2016Educational Module: Shale Gas Development
This module has been developed around the topic of the extraction of natural gas from …
This module has been developed around the topic of the extraction of natural gas from shale. This practice, commonly referred to as fracking, involves several practices that have complex and uncertain consequences. In the module, three scientific concepts are explored in order to elucidate how science is applied toward addressing real-world problems. The scientific concepts are: (1) correlation is not the same as causation, (2) hazard is not the same as risk, and (3) risk…
Risk Analysis | Government/Law | North America | Probability/Bayes | Environmental Health | Policy/Regulation | Business/Industry | Climate/Environment | Energy/Engineering | Science/Technology | Global | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership -
Lesson/ModuleWeb Portal, Teaching Resource 2016Educational Module: Forensic Pattern Recognition
This module uses latent print (fingerprint) identification as a case study of the broader category …
This module uses latent print (fingerprint) identification as a case study of the broader category of forensic pattern recognition evidence. The case of forensic pattern recognition evidence is meant, in turn, to be a case study of the broader issue of the interaction between science and law and policy. The case of fingerprinting identification poses challenging questions for legal professionals and policy-makers. Although fingerprint identification is one of the most widely used and widely trusted…
Decision Analysis | Government/Law | North America | Decision Theory | Probability/Bayes | Policy/Regulation | Science/Technology | Global | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership | Quantitative Literacy -
GuidelinesPublication 2015USPSTF Procedure Manual
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) Procedure Manual describes the methods used by the …
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) Procedure Manual describes the methods used by the Task Force to ensure that its recommendations are scientifically sound, reproducible, and well documented. The Manual provides a high-level description of the Task Force’s structure, governance, and processes for selecting topics, reviewing evidence, soliciting and responding to public input, and arriving at a recommendation. It is intended as a guide for anyone who is interested in the Task Force, Task…
Technology Assessment | Government/Law | North America | Priority Setting/Ethics | Evidence Synthesis | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2015Valuing Regulations Affecting Addictive or Habitual Goods
The analysis of regulations affecting addictive or habitual goods has drawn considerable controversy. Some studies …
The analysis of regulations affecting addictive or habitual goods has drawn considerable controversy. Some studies have suggested that such regulations have only small welfare benefits, as consumers value these goods despite health benefits from quitting, while other studies suggest that information or behavioral problems make existing consumption decisions a poor guide to welfare evaluation. This analysis examines potential utility offsets to health benefits of regulations affecting addictive or habitual goods theoretically and empirically. The paper…
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Culture/Society | North America | Preferences/Values | Chronic Disease/Risk | Social Determinants | Policy/Regulation | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine -
ReportPublication 2014Redirecting Innovation in U.S. Health Care
This report from RAND Health explores methods of reducing health care spending and developing medical …
This report from RAND Health explores methods of reducing health care spending and developing medical products that provide cost value with health benefits. It summarizes literature and explores case studies to provide policy recommendations to meet these goals. It identifies a wide range of factors that affect the costs, risks, and rewards of medical product invention. Some of these features include treatment creep, the medical arms race, costs and risks of FDA approval, limited reward…
Health Outcomes | Government/Law | North America | Costing Methods | Evidence Synthesis | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology