Resources Repository
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Tutorial/PrimerWeb Portal, Teaching Resource 2015Decision Theory
This chapter on normative decision theory is from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, a dynamic reference …
This chapter on normative decision theory is from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, a dynamic reference work available online. Decision theory is concerned with the reasoning underlying an person's choices, whether a mundane choice between taking the bus or getting a taxi, or a more far-reaching choice about whether to pursue a demanding political career. The orthodox normative decision theory, expected utility (EU) theory, essentially says that, in situations of uncertainty, one should prefer the option…
Decision Theory | Economics/Finance | Preferences/Values | Graduate | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Quantitative Literacy -
ArticlePublication 2017Getting it Right When Budgets are Tight: Prioritizing Responses to HIV Epidemics
Prioritizing investments across health interventions is complicated by the nonlinear relationship between intervention coverage and …
Prioritizing investments across health interventions is complicated by the nonlinear relationship between intervention coverage and epidemiological outcomes. It can be difficult for countries to know which interventions to prioritize for greatest epidemiological impact, particularly when budgets are uncertain.The authors examined four case studies of HIV epidemics in diverse settings, each with different characteristics. These case studies were based on public data available for Belarus, Peru, Togo, and Myanmar. The Optima HIV model and software package…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Economics/Finance | Costing Methods | Mathematical Models | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Infectious Diseases | Health Systems | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa | Middle East & North Africa | Latin America & Caribbean | Asia & Pacific -
ArticlePublication 2017When Cost-Effective Interventions Are Unaffordable
Many health interventions deemed cost-effective are not affordable. Despite the importance of affordability to policymakers, …
Many health interventions deemed cost-effective are not affordable. Despite the importance of affordability to policymakers, little of the cost-effectiveness literature in global health addresses this issue. Budget impact analysis (BIA) describes an intervention's short-term costs and savings from the payer's perspective. This paper assesses the current use of budget impact analysis (BIA) and cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) in health economic assessments conducted for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The authors recommend steps researchers and policymakers can…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Economics/Finance | Costing Methods | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Infectious Diseases | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Global -
ArticlePublication 2017Making Fair Choices on the Path to UHC: Applying Principles to Difficult Cases
Progress toward universal health coverage (UHC) requires making difficult trade-offs. The World Health Organization (WHO) …
Progress toward universal health coverage (UHC) requires making difficult trade-offs. The World Health Organization (WHO) Consultative Group on Equity and UHC has endorsed the principles for making such decisions. These principles include maximizing population health, priority for the worse off, and shielding people from health-related financial risks. But how should one apply these principles in particular cases, and how should one adjudicate between them when their demands conflict? This article by some members of the…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Economics/Finance | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Culture/Society | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Global -
ReportPublication 2017DCP3: Major Infectious Diseases
This report from the World Bank is the sixth volume of the Disease Control Priorities, …
This report from the World Bank is the sixth volume of the Disease Control Priorities, third edition (DCP3) series and examines the burden of infectious diseases, which remain a leading cause of death globally, especially for children and adolescents. This report identifies feasible and cost-effective platforms to prevent and treat diseases like HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, malaria, adult febrile illness, viral hepatitis, and tropical diseases. This volume also emphasizes the importance of addressing…
Evidence Synthesis | Economics/Finance | Costing Methods | Health Outcomes | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Infectious Diseases | Health Systems | Global Governance | Health/Medicine | Global -
ReviewPublication 2017Quality of Life as an Outcome of Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
The recent opioid epidemic has prompted renewed interest in opioid use disorder treatment, but there …
The recent opioid epidemic has prompted renewed interest in opioid use disorder treatment, but there is little evidence regarding health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) outcomes in treatment programs. Measuring HRQoL represents an opportunity to consider outcomes of opioid use disorder treatment that are more patient-centered and more relevant to overall health than abstinence alone. This systematic literature review explores the extent to which the collection of HRQoL by opioid treatment programs is documented in the treatment program literature.…
Evidence Synthesis | Economics/Finance | Preferences/Values | Health Outcomes | Chronic Disease/Risk | Mental Health | Social Determinants | Health Systems | Health/Medicine -
ReportPublication 2018Estimating the Distributional Impact of Increasing Taxes on Tobacco Products in Armenia
Smoking is considered the leading risk factor for mortality among the Armenian population. The authors …
Smoking is considered the leading risk factor for mortality among the Armenian population. The authors conducted an extended cost-effectiveness analysis (ECEA) on increases in the excise tax on cigarettes in Armenia. Based on the World Health Organization recommendations, they analyzed the impact of a 75% increase of excise tax on the retail price of cigarettes. The ECEA found large health and financial benefits to the excise tax. It averted about 88,000 premature deaths, US$63 million of OOP…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Economics/Finance | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Business/Industry | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Europe -
Tutorial/PrimerPublication, Teaching Resource 2014Decision Theory: A Formal Philosophical Introduction
Decision theory is the study of how choices are and should be made in a …
Decision theory is the study of how choices are and should be made in a variety of different contexts. The author approaches the topic from a formal-philosophical point of view with a focus on normative and conceptual issues. After considering the question of how decision problems should be framed, he examines both the standard theories of chance under conditions of certainty, risk and uncertainty and some of the current debates about how uncertainty should be measured and how…
Decision Theory | Economics/Finance | Preferences/Values | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Quantitative Literacy -
ArticlePublication 2017Household Energy Interventions in Haryana, India: An Extended CEA
In this paper, the authors examine the use of solid fuels as a primary energy …
In this paper, the authors examine the use of solid fuels as a primary energy source for cooking in India, which contributes to high rates of infant and child mortality as well as other diseases caused by household air pollution (HAP). To achieve the widespread adoption of one of three interventions – a mud chimney stove, a blower stove, and LPG use—the government needs to offer subsidies to households using solid fuels. While the reduction…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Economics/Finance | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk | Social Determinants | Environmental Health | Policy/Regulation | Climate/Environment | Energy/Engineering | Science/Technology | Asia & Pacific